


Under the Clouds

by princeofnaboo



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, NaNoWriMo, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Post-Apocalypse, come suffer with me, welcome to the underground
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-24 11:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13810113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princeofnaboo/pseuds/princeofnaboo
Summary: In a world recovering from a nuclear war, the rich live in biospheres with all the accommodations you could ask for. However, if you cant afford this luxury, you're stuck on the outside, where the smog and dust is so thick that weather patterns are nonexistent. The government is corrupt, and the laws unfair. Criminals under the age of eighteen avoid execution by being sent to The Underground, a sort of prison made of the old nuclear bunkers. When seventeen year old Cloud gets caught for his crimes, what will happen when he is sent to the Underground, and it's not what he was expecting?





	1. DAY 1 Love You Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> this is my 2017 nanowrimo idk idkidkdidkidkddikdi  
> Miracle_Novelist /basically/ co wrote this by which I mean shes helped me come up with a lot of ideas and is the only reason it will ever get finished.  
> anyways have fun reading this heaping shit pile can I get an uuuuuh yeehaw

The night air was hot, but really, when wasn’t it. It was a dry heat that found its way into your lungs, made a home of them and stole your breath with every shaky inhale and forced exhale. I lay in bed, the ratty blankets pooled around my hips, abandoned from my frame. They were still wrapped tightly around my sister though, where she lay sleeping nestled between me and mom. I made an effort to stay in bed just a moment longer, to stare at the makeshift ceiling overhead and focus my sporadic brain into a single train of thought. Sighing heavily I sat up, and crawled from the puddle of blankets as quietly as I could, trying not to disturb the girls still sleeping soundly in the bed.

“Clouds…” Came a sleepy voice from behind me, the voice of my little sister, my little Stormy. I turned around and kneeled down next to her, pulling her into my arms and brushing her wild brown curls out of her face. She was a cute little girl, with large brown, doe like eyes, and a round chubby face. “Where’re you going?” She asked, peering up at me.

“I gotta’ go into town for a little while,” I explained, rocking her gently in my arms. “You gotta’ go back to sleep Storms, it’s early.” She nodded, blinking sleepily, and I tucked her back into the blankets at Mom’s side.

I tottered over to a pile of clothes, pulling randomly from the stack and quickly putting them on before making my way to a mirror hung on the other wall, staring at my faded appearance. I looked- tired. Tired and too thin. My face was gaunt, like a ghost would be, and my hair hung in limp tendrils around it. Turning away, I pulled my hair up into a bun, sighing again. It would do no good to dwell on my sad appearance, I had things to do, things that my looks had nothing to do with.

Slipping out of the small apartment through a window and onto the roof of another one, I took a moment to just stand there and let the hot air sink into my skin. As much as people complained about the weather out here, or lack thereof, I knew that everyone felt at home in the heat and the dust and the radioactivity.

I jumped down from the tin roof onto another, cringing as the weight jostled my knees. It took a couple minutes to navigate the jungle of apartments stacked into each other, climbing and jumping and sliding down hot metal, but eventually I found my feet on warmed concrete.

For so early in the morning you wouldn’t think the streets would have even as many people as they did then, bodies bustling down long dusty streets, from one place to the next. Out here though, it seemed as though no one ever slept. The streets were always alight with life, the city a constant buzz of something there and thick and tangible.

I made my way past the expanse of apartments and into an area of the city where shops of every kind where laid out in a hectic sprawl. The deeper I went into the maze, the more crowded it grew, and I knew as the day awoke, it would only grow busier. Slipping past a group of kids crowded around a booth filled with mechanical trinkets and toys, I pushed towards my target, a small booth squished between two larger ones, nearly unnoticeable if you didn’t know where to find it.

As I grew closer I saw a shock of red hair at the makeshift counter, the face behind it screwed up in concentration. Deft hands pulled at wires and small bolts, some electronic contraption that I had no idea what it actually was. I slid up past an old man and propped my elbows up on the counter, clicking my tongue to catch the red headed girl’s attention. Her gaze snapped up from behind a pair of magnifying glasses, her eyes appearing too large and too green.

“Haven’t seen your ugly mug around here in a while.” She murmured, setting the contraption down after a moment, and giving me her full, unsettling attention. I gave a small half smile, brushing an errant strand of hair behind my ear.

“Been busy.” I replied simply. I reached forward and pawed at the scattered pieces of machinery on the counter, flicking my eyes up to meet her expecting gaze. I laughed a little and turned a small chunk of metal on its side and gave it a little twist, watching it spin for a while. Her hand darted out to land on it, effectively stilling its chaotic whirling path. I settled my jaw in the palm of my hand and met her eyes. We looked at each other, until it became a competition of who could stare the longest. Finally she threw her gloved hands in the air dramatically and I laughed some more.

“Whadd’ya want Cloud?” She asked with a sigh, though a smile tugged threateningly at the corners of her pale lips. I cocked my head to the side a little bit and gave her a genuine smile.

“Can’t I just come ‘cause I want to see you, Angel?” I questioned, grabbing at her metal pieces and wires, but she quickly snatched them out of my reach. She gave me a disbelieving look, but it soon softened out into an enduring smirk.

“Well I’m flattered,” She said, and pushed her glasses back into her vibrant hair. “You have places to be though, and I have customers who apparently can’t live without their music players.” I groaned quietly and let my head fall onto the counter. She was right, the detour had taken longer than it should have, and soon the city would be too awake for me to get anything done.

A quick goodbye and promises to meet again later, and I made my way back through the small thrums of people and into the maze of back alleys I typically used to get anywhere in this city. After a while, I was in the more industrial part of the city, where the makeshift structures turned into warehouses. I didn’t really look that out of place, I knew, amongst the workers heading in for morning shifts. Here though, the amount of soldiers grew ever present, one after the other, making my hair stand on end as they marched past me with their stun batons and sleek black gear. I kept my head down, watching my boots and the cracks in the old pavement, trying to call as little attention to myself as possible.

Coming upon my destination; a tall, greyish building with broken windows and an ever present creaking, I slipped past a couple of soldiers and towards the back. I was quick, having done this hundreds of times before, as I came upon a low window near a loading bay, with shattered glass littering the pavement below it. Without pause, I slipped through the window and found myself in a familiar, dimly lit, abandoned room. It was a stock room or something like that, a room where no one had been in ages, if the thick layers of dust were anything to go by.

I padded quietly out of the room and down a long corridor, until I came to the part of the building where guards were patrolling. Every now and then, a black clad guard would pass by me where I hid just around a corner, a hairs breath away. They would never notice me though, I had done this too many times, knew how they moved, how they thought. Soon, after weaving through a few corridors and up a few sets of steel stairs, I had come to where I wanted to be, a store room, stocked to the brim with provisions.

I slipped in and took a second to just marvel at the sheer amount. Walls and walls of provision packs, they were just packets of dehydrated food, but it was like seeing rain with how many there were. I stepped up to a pile of the things and grabbed seven of them, quickly shoving them into the bag on my hip. I always thought about just grabbing handfuls, as many as I could carry, but never did. Seven provision packs could be explained away, but not much more than that.

I didn’t care that I had to steal, see, out here you never really learn any morals. Besides, the system was jacked, and if I wanted my little sister to be able to eat, stealing was simply a necessity. The provisions system worked like this: You’re born, you get registered, and you get a food card. You show that food card to the provisions personnel and you get your provision packs. Seems simple right? But there are flaws, and those flaws can be deadly.

Like in the case of my baby sister, Stormy. She’s not my biological sister, in fact, I don’t even know whose she is, biologically. I found her when she was just an infant, wrapped up in a crappy blanket half buried in the sand pits. She didn’t have anything with her, much less a food card, so provision stealing it was.

I weaved my way back the way I had come, my bag bouncing heavily against my hip. I peeked around a corner, making sure my path was clear. Everything was going well, going normally, but then I heard a shout behind me and my universe burst into motion.

“Hey kid! What’re you doing in here?” My head spun around so fast I swear I got whiplash. A guard was at the end of the hallway, hand hovering threateningly over his stun baton. Without thinking, I turned on my heel and took off running, the sound of my boots pounding the ground like a gun firing right next to my ear.

Suddenly the whole world was a frenzy of flashing red light and alarms as I took the stairs two at a time. I wasn’t fast enough though, and soon, a body slammed into mine from behind, effectively taking me to the ground. Distantly, I felt my skull crack against the concrete, but it felt like it was a million worlds away as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. I thrashed around like a wild beast, managing to get my back to the ground just in time to see the guard propelling his stun baton towards my face. I rolled violently to the side, the tip of the baton cracking loudly into the cement, sparks arching into the air.

I got my hands between us, pushing with all my strength. The guard fell backwards a bit, just enough for me to crawl backwards. He growled and grabbed my leg with a giant hand, hauling me back towards him as I kicked out in his direction, my nails scrabbling uselessly at smooth cement. My foot somehow connected with his gut and he doubled over in pain, giving me time to stumble to my knees and fall backwards against the railing. My hand came up to my forehead instinctively, feeling the nauseating stickiness, my fingers coming away red and bloody.

Quickly, I made a break for the stairs just past the guard, but as I passed him his hand grasped again onto my ankle, and suddenly I was falling, falling, falling. It seemed like every vulnerable piece of me connected with something hard on the way down, and soon enough I found myself in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs, breathing heavily. I felt blood trickle slowly into my eye, obscuring my vision. Somewhere far above me, as if I was underwater, I heard laughter.

“Well ain’t you a clumsy one sweetheart.” The guard called, and as if out of a nightmare, I heard the clunking of his boots coming down the stairs. I somehow managed to make it onto my feet just as the guard made it to me, as he grabbed me by my hair and slammed my head into the metal railing. It was getting hard to think straight, I just wanted to go to sleep. Everything hurt so much, and I was sure this was just a vivid nightmare, not unlike others I’d had before. I grabbed onto the man’s arms and we struggled for a moment. He obviously had the upper hand, but I was like a caged animal, something feral and wild and _scared._

Somehow he ended up pinned against the railing, leaning backwards over the dark abyss below, our hands interlocked as I shoved against him and he shoved against me. Time slowed down then, and everything went weightless as he seemed to bend farther and farther. But he wasn’t bending, came a hazy thought somewhere deep in my rattled brain, he was falling, and before I could do anything to stop it, he had slipped backwards over the railing.

My body instantly followed after his, slumping over the metal bar, my eyes locking onto his as he fell, his face stretched into a wordless scream. I watched as he fell, and I watched as his body made impact with the set of stairs below, a final and resolute crack echoing through my brain. I stared as vomit welled up in my throat, stared down at the way his limbs were bent at horrible inhuman angles and a pool of something dark and thick was beginning to spread out below him, to trickle slowly down onto the next stair, and then the next. I watched from one red flash of light to the next, from one alarm scream to another, as seconds stretched into eternities and the pool of blood only got bigger, only became a sort of morbid waterfall on those stairs.

Finally though, through my hazy thoughts, the reality of the situation hit me and I stumbled back from the railing, clutching my stomach. My head whipped from side to side, which hurt like hell, but really so did everything. I stumbled the rest of the way back to the abandoned room I’d first entered in, miraculously not coming upon any more guards, and managed to climb out the window and into the searing heat of the morning.

In something close to a sprint I took to the back alleys, not thinking much, because that hurt too much. Soon enough I was back at the shops, pushing my way through the sea of people that now milled about. I got a few confused glances, but no one tried to stop me, and before long I was back at Angel’s booth, breathing heavy. She glanced up from her work curiously, but curiosity turned quickly into horror upon seeing the blood pouring down my face. She wordlessly shoved her work off of the counter and into a basket, before she disappeared into the back for a moment, reappearing seconds later around the front of the shop.

“The hell happened to you mate?” Angel hissed, wrapping an arm around my frame to steady me. She began leading me towards what I assumed to be her apartment, and I slumped into her shoulder, not caring at the blood I was smearing into her shirt. I laughed hoarsely.

“I _fell._ ” I spat out, and if she asked me anything after that, well, I can’t really say.

 

I awoke to the familiarity of Angel’s bed, her tattered blankets wrapped tightly around me and tucked up right under my chin. My head was pounding, and my mouth felt like if it got any dryer it would literally just fall out of my head. I sat up, then immediately regretted it and collapsed back into the pillows.

            “Easy there princess, you took a couple good bonks to your skull.” Came Angel’s voice from across the room, and I turned my head slightly to see her propped up at her table, a mug of something warm and steaming sitting in front of her. I groaned and focused back on the ceiling above my head, trying to assess what had happened.

            I’d gotten in to the warehouse, gotten the provision packs, gotten out… no wait, it hadn’t gone quite as simply as that, had it? The guard had caught me, tried to _literally_ taze me, pushed me down the stairs, then we’d…we’d-

            “Oh shit.” I shouted, sitting bolt upright and floundering in the blankets. Angel got up from the table and walked over. My heart started beating faster as the memories began rushing back like some kind of horrible wave. Through the pain, I managed to stand up from the blankets, started pacing around the small apartment.

            “What’d you do Cloud?” Angel accused, her voice thick with worry as her eyes tracked my movements. My hands flew up to my hair, which was no longer in its bun, but was hanging in greasy strings around my sweaty face.

            “I killed him…” I whispered, stopped pacing, and met her gaze from across the room. She straightened up even more at that.

            “What?” She demanded and took a couple steps forward, making me hesitantly take a few steps back. I wrung my hands in front of myself, panic welling up in my throat.

            “Oh god Angel, What do I do, I killed him!” I could see the panic rising in her eyes as well, the way her posture had changed, how her hands were minutely shaking.

            “What do you _mean_ Cloud? Who did you kill?” She demanded again, and I could tell she was trying to stay calm. I collapsed back into her bed, pulling my knees up to my chest.

            “The guard, Angel, at the provisions facility. He caught me and he tried to taze me and I fell down the stairs and then we were fighting and he was up against the railing and he fell and the blood, Angel, oh god the blood-“

            “Cloud!” She shouted, and suddenly she was right in front of me, grasping my wrists to stop my anxious flailing. “You didn’t kill him Cloud, he fell.” And that was a thought, wasn’t it? That this was somehow not my fault. I stared at her with wide eyes, no longer able to form coherent thoughts. The fear in her eyes was still there, but she was calm, and god was that what I needed right then. “You need to go home.” She said suddenly.

            “What?” I said slowly, and she was pulling me up from the blankets and shoving my jacket into my arms.

            “You need to go home and go to sleep and forget that this ever happened, and you need to never tell anyone else.” She said, calm as could be. I stared at her, trying to come up with reasons why that was a bad idea, why it wouldn’t work, but my everything hurt and so I just nodded once, then twice, and let her usher me out the door.

            The night heat, because somewhere between the shops and waking up in Angel’s bed, it had become night, was nearly unbearable, though it shouldn’t have been. I stumbled from her apartment to my own in something of a haze, not making much of an effort to pay attention to what I was doing, just that I would end up where I wanted to be. Slipping in the window of my home, I was immediately greeted by my mom, swelling up to meet me and locking me in a tight embrace.

            “Where have you been? I’ve been so worried.” She demanded, holding me at arm’s length to assess my injuries. Apparently, Angel had taken the time to patch me up, and mom was somewhat used to me coming home with scrapes and bruises, because after a moment she let me go and went back to the kitchen table.

            “Was at Angel’s.” I answered, and fell heavily onto the bed. Mom seemed content with that answer, and not likely to press about the injuries, because she nodded and took up her needle and thread again. Stormy slipped down from her chair and tottered over to me on her chubby toddler legs, plopping down between my knees.

            “Clouds.” She whispered, nearly reverent, and reached up to run a small hand over the gash on my forehead gently. “Owwie.” She said, and then she was getting up and dashing over to the cupboards on the back wall, climbing onto the counter to reach. Soon she was returning with a damp rag, sitting down in front of me and gesturing for me to lean forward. I smiled, as she gently dabbed at my forehead, at my ‘owwie’. When she was done with her task, she nodded with a serious face. I grinned and scooped her into my arms.

            “Thank you, my little medic.” I gushed, and laid her down in my lap. Her giggles turned into furious laughter as I began tickling her and she writhed to get out of my grasp. Soon I was chasing her around the small apartment, and twirling her around in the air.

            Stormy might not be my biological sister, but the bond we shared was very real. I loved her more than anything in the world, would give anything to see her safe and sound, maybe even living in the biospheres, with sunshine and rain and dogs that didn’t have multiple heads.

The night passed quickly enough, mom finished up her orders while I fed Stormy some nameless mush provisions, and then we were all crawling into bed. I blew out the light and pulled Stormy close to my chest, her thick brown curls tickling my nose.

            “Love you Clouds.” Stormy whispered after a moment of silence, and I tucked my nose into her hair.

            “Love you Storms.” I whispered back, and though there was something unsettled about the night air, I fell asleep.

 

I awoke to a loud banging, and then a crash, and suddenly our small apartment was as bright as fire. I tried to shield my eyes as the blankets fell away from my body, but then strong gloved hands were grabbing me from all directions and pulling me bodily from the bed. I heard Stormy crying and through bleary eyes I could see mom huddled in the middle of the bed, wrapped around her protectively, looking so incredibly small. Then I saw the soldiers around them with their guns trained on her head and panic welled up in me like something manic and alive. I thrashed about like a wild animal until the soldiers holding me wrestled me to the ground, one kneeling heavily on my back, a hand pressing my face roughly into the floor.

“What’s going on?” I screamed, but somewhere deep inside I already knew what was happening, and the reality of it was quickly dawning on me. Stormy was full on screaming now, and I heard a soldier tell my mom to shut her up. I writhed beneath the soldier’s knee, bearing my teeth.

“Civilian 5096 you are under arrest for 136 counts of federal theft and 1 count of manslaughter.” I heard from somewhere above me, and I choked back a sob. I let my body go limp on the floor.

“Cloud, what is this, what are they talking about?” Mom pleaded, and it sounded like her heart was breaking with every word. I just shook my head into the floor and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the bright lights to go away. The soldiers hauled me up and I opened my eyes to look at mom where she was wrapped around my little stormy. Mom looked back at me with tears spilling down her cheeks, and an empty prayer on her lips. She knew there was nothing she could do. We both did.

“It’s gonna be okay mom.” I lied as the soldier spun me around. I craned my neck back to look at her. “Take care of Stormy Mom!” I shouted. I saw the little girl peering out at me from under Mom’s arms, finally quiet, and something deep inside me broke.

“Love you Storms!” I shouted, her deep brown eyes filled with confusion, but also resignation and something too old and knowing for a three year old.

“Love you Clouds!” I heard, and then a black bag was forced over my head and the soldiers pushed me out of the apartment.

 

I was half shoved, half carried a little ways down from the apartments to what I assumed to be the road, where the soldiers put me in electronic cuffs before I was tossed into the back of a van. It wasn’t a pleasant ride by any means, any time I managed to get my knees underneath me, the van hit a pothole and I was thrown onto my side again. It definitely wasn’t helping whatever injuries id gotten earlier in the day, but my mind was going too many different directions to stop and think about it.

After a long while of slipping in and out of consciousness, the van came to a stop, and after another moment, I felt those hands on me again, hauling me roughly out of the van. I was taken into a building, I could tell from how it got double as hot, and suddenly the bag was ripped off of my head and electric light was assaulting my eyes. I looked wildly from side to side, taking in my surroundings.

I was in a small, brightly lit room, there were three soldiers in the room with me, and one of them spun me around, undoing the cuffs. At the other end of the room was an open freight elevator, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Before I could say or do anything, one of the soldiers was stalking towards me with a large syringe in hand. I scrambled backwards, but he was faster, and grabbed me by the arm, plunging the needle into my flesh. He shoved me backwards into the elevator, and I barely managed to catch myself on the railing. Around me, the world started to go blurry.

“Have fun down there, doll.” He jeered, as I slumped onto my knees, and then finally just fell completely to the floor of the elevator. As my world went black and I watched the backs of the retreating soldiers, I tried to prepare myself for what was to come. I knew where I was going, where the elevator would take me.

The Underground.


	2. DAY 2 Welcome To The Underground

            I awoke, somewhat, though I didn’t try to open my eyes, to all-encompassing heat and pain. It was like being slowly crushed, like the weight of something flaming and red hot pressing down on every part of me. I heard myself groan, distantly, and felt my limbs start to move despite my brain protesting adamantly. There was someone shaking me, a hand on my shoulder, gentle but firm. Hesitantly, I cracked an eye open to dim yellow light.

I was met with a face a foot or so away from my own. The face of a man, or a boy more likely, probably around the same age as me. He had a tan, square face, with a sharp jaw. His eyes were warm and soft as he peered down at me, his shoulder length caramel hair framing his face attractively. I blinked up at him, trying to connect the dots.

“You awake?” He asked kindly. I nodded slowly, my head still pounding, and leaned forward, onto my knees. He leaned away, giving me space, and settled into a crouch in front of me. The boy cocked his head, his eyes kind, but questioning and curious. I sighed long and slow, peering around the space. I was still in the elevator, but it had taken me down it seemed, deeper into the earth, if the lack of windows and light were anything to go by.

“I feel like shit.” I stated blankly, staring into the middle distance. The boy chuckled, his shoulders shaking. He rolled up into a standing position and looked down at me for a second, before offering me a large hand. I stared at it hesitantly for a couple long seconds, and then slapped my own slim hand into his, and he hauled me up. I chocked back a cry of pain, my other hand flying to my shoulder. The boy looked at me with concern, stepping forward.

“I’m fine,” I spit out through gritted teeth, holding a shaky hand up to stop him. “Just a little banged up.”

“A little.” He said back, the concern still evident in his eyes, but he made no move to touch me. We stared each other down for a moment, though the boy with less malice in his eyes than I, before he took a step back. I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I’m Beetle.” He said finally. I blinked up at him, which he must have took as confusion, because he continued, “This is The Underground.”

“I know.” I responded. Beetle smiled at me and turned, starting towards the doorway at the other end of the room. When I didn’t follow, he stopped and looked at me over his shoulder.

“Well come on, we have a lot to do.” Beetle said warmly, and gestured with his hand for me to follow. After I was in motion, he led me out of the room and into a long, metal corridor. It seemed like everything was metal down here, our steps echoing hollowly through the hall. “We should probably get you into some- cleaner clothes.” He mumbled, almost to himself, and after a while of walking we had come to a short door. Beetle pushed it open and ducked in, me following after.

I found myself in a small room, what looked to be a bedroom of sorts, with a bed tucked neatly in one corner and a metal trunk shoved against another wall. As I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, I avoided looking at my reflection in the small mirror hanging on the back wall, sure that it would be a horrendous sight. Beetle went to the trunk and threw it open, rummaging around inside for a moment before pulling out a couple articles of clothing. He turned on me with kind eyes and gently threw the clothes in my direction. I barely caught them, fumbling with the heavy cloth.

“To replace yours, since they’re a little dirty.” He said, and I glanced down at my chest, where the blood from my head had dripped onto the front of my hoodie and dried in large brown splotches. I looked back up, avoiding Beetle’s eyes in embarrassment.

“Thanks,” I murmured, turning my back and letting the new clothes drop to the ground. I gently pulled the hoodie off my back, careful of my bruised shoulder and the way my entire body ached with every simple movement. When the shirt was off, I heard a quiet gasp from behind me, and I imagined what I must look like, bruised and bloody, like a homeless, beaten dog. I reached down and retrieved the shirt Beetle had provided, a thick grey sweater with several holes, and quickly pulled it over my head. It was too big, the sleeves covering my hands, and the hem coming to mid-thigh, but I just sighed loudly and pushed the sleeves up my scrawny arms. Pants came next, and boy, was that a painful affair. My legs were as heavy as bricks and if I didn’t know any better I would swear my ankles were broken. The pants Beetle had provided where, again, too long, but curiously fit tighter than I would have liked.

Soon enough I was fully clothed again, and I turned to meat Beetles gaze. His eyes held something that made me angry, made my stomach clench up with a quiet, humiliated fury- pity. I crossed my arms over my chest, the sleeves of the sweater slipping back down to cover my hands, somewhat ruining the menacing look I had been going for.

“Well?” I demanded, glaring. “What now Butterfly?” Beetle just laughed at that, the skin around his eyes scrunching up, only serving to make me angrier. He moved towards me and I flinched back, causing him to stop dead and put his hands up in the air, non-threateningly.

“Just goin’ for the door.” He said mildly. I let out my breath. Beetle moved past me as I calmed my anxious heart, opening the door and stepping out. I followed after, and we made our way down the corridor again. I lost myself in the twists and turns, the metal walls and floors and ceiling. I was startled out of my daze by Beetle’s calm voice.

“-your name?” I blinked at that, making sense of what he was asking.

“Cloud.” I murmured to the ground, and my boots, taking wobbly steps below me. I heard Beetle hum, and then whisper my name to himself a couple times, as if testing it out on his tongue, tasting the roll of it from the bottom of his throat to backs of his teeth. I shook my head a couple times, and focused on the constant, steady throbbing in my skull.

Soon we came to a large set of doors, with two tall, broad men standing outside in what I assumed to be guard. Upon seeing Beetle though, the guards simply stepped to the side and opened the tall doors, letting us in. We entered into a larger room, much larger than Beetle’s room, maybe by four or five times. I immediately noticed the amount of people. Beside me and Beetle, there were five other people already in the room. As soon as we entered, the loud argument stopped in its tracks, silence overcoming the room in seconds. Beetle strode into the room, unabashedly, and hopped up on the table in the center like a cat, sitting cross legged. I however, hovered by the door uncomfortably, jumping violently when the doors slammed behind my back.

“This is Cloud, the greenie.” Beetle said, and leaned back on his arms. This got curious gazes from the other five cast in my direction, causing me to wrap my arms around my middle and start picking at the holes in Beetle’s sweater.

“Well aren’t you just the cutest thing!” Came a smooth, accented voice from the tall woman standing closest, and she swooped in, like a hawk or a vulture. I tried not to scramble backwards in panic, but failed, and I saw her pause. She took a step back, obviously trying to appear as un-threatening as possible. I pressed my back into the metal door, trying to control my heaving chest. She wasn’t exactly scary; not big, or particularly muscular. She was somewhat tall, at least taller than me, and slim, with a sharp, angular face. Her eyes were a deep reddish brown and were coated in dark makeup. Her hair was black and long, ridiculously curly.

“He’s skittish as a mouse!” spat a mocking voice, and my eyes darted up to its owner. It was a man, standing with his muscular arms crossed over his chest on the other side of the table, with black hair, shaved down short on the sides, and gelled up into a spike on the top. He was- infuriatingly handsome, with a strong, angular face, sharp cheekbones, and full, pink lips. However, those lips were twisted into a mean spirited smirk that made something in me twinge in annoyance. I peeled myself away from the door and tried to draw up to my full height, as awe-inspiring as it was, in an effort to appear less scared. The man just snorted.

“Don’t be an ass,” The woman chided, and took a few hesitant steps towards me. “I’m Rouge, and his name is Bones,” She pointed a delicate finger at the rude man. “He’s the head honcho around here, and I’m his co-commander of sorts.” She smiled brightly at me, but my mind was already going a million different directions.

That couldn’t be right, the Bones guy could only be nineteen, twenty at the most, not to mention he was dressed like everyone else in the room, obviously not a soldier. Things started falling into place then, how Beetle had been the one to greet me when I woke up, how I hadn’t seen a single soldier down there.

See, you grew up hearing stories about The Underground. When some kid in the neighborhood disappeared one day, rumors spread fast. About how the soldiers had come, ripped them out of their parent’s arms and dragged them down to The Underground and locked them up in a metal room. It’s just what happened. If you’re over eighteen you get the firing squad, if your under eighteen, well, you get The Underground.

But it wasn’t supposed to be like this, some free for all run by a punk with too much hair gel. Sometimes, back when we were still kids, me and Angel would make blanket forts in her living room and try to scare each other with stories about how horrible The Underground was. How they stripped you down and tazed you with their stun batons for hours on end, or didn’t feed you for weeks. I must have been silent for too long, because Bones suddenly spoke up, as if he had been reading my thoughts.

“What? Not what you were expecting? It’s never too late for the stun batons you know.” I shuddered involuntarily, remembering the way the guard had thrust his baton at my face, imagining how it would have felt if it would have made contact. I shook my head, frowning. Bones just laughed and uncrossed his arms, walking around the table. I did my best to stand my ground, to control the tremors in my hands. “Ain’t no soldiers down here princess, ain’t no nothin’. Had to make sense of all the chaos, so that’s where I came in.” He was up in my face now, flaunting his height and trying to intimidate me, but I refused to back down. “Not that a little dame like you would understand taking control like that.” He sneered, and I cracked.

            “So you came down here with all your muscle and sorted it out with force, is that it? That what Rouge is for? She’s the brain to your brawn?” I spat, and watched his eyes light up with fire. Behind him I heard a chorus of laughter, and saw a nerve in his jaw twitch, he somehow managed to get closer. Before things could escalate though, another man was pushing an arm between us and gently shoving Bones away from me. My eyes flashed to him and took in his appearance.

He was about the same height as Bones, but his shoulders were broader, his arms thicker. He was tan, with hair cropped so short he was nearly bald, and dark circles smudged thickly under his bright blue eyes. He pulled Bones five or so feet away from me, the black haired man still staring me down with something violent in his eyes, but also something… playful? Like a wolf playing with its prey. I quickly averted my eyes.

            “Easy there tough guy,” The new man said, a small smile playing at his thin lips. “Wouldn’t ‘wanna break the greenie.” That made me bristle in annoyance, but I choked back the retort and trained my eyes on the floor. I wasn’t sure where my confidence had come from when arguing with Bones, but now that it was over, I felt like sinking to the ground and resting my sore, flaming joints. “I’m Checkmate, by the way. You can thank me for saving your life later.” The man said after a moment. I just continued picking at the holes in Beetle’s sweater, wishing I was back in my bed above ground with every fiber of my being, would give anything to be curled around Stormy’s small frame, warm and safe and _home._

“Well if we’re introducing ourselves, I guess I’ll go next.” Someone piped up, pulling me out of my revere. I looked up to see a small, wiry looking person staring at me with the biggest, crystalline blue eyes I’d ever seen. They had chin length, greasy looking brown hair, and several silver piercings in their face. “I’m Ten, I’m basically just here to clean up after these jerks, both figuratively and literally.” They said, face not betraying a single emotion. It earned a snort from Bones, who’d plopped down in a metal chair across the room.

“And that’s Solstice.” Bones intervened when the beautiful Japanese girl standing beside him tried to speak. She had long shiny black hair, and an angular, ageless face. She had a strip of red eyeliner on each of her eyelids. “She’s my _secretary.”_ He finished, grinning up at her, which earned him a solid and painful looking elbow to the stomach.

After everyone in the room had been introduced, all their eyes fell on me, expecting. Of what, though, I wasn’t sure. I shuffled my feet and glanced from face to face nervously. After a moment, Bones scoffed rudely and threw his hands out.

            “So whatcha’ down here for cloud baby?” he asked and I cringed at the pet name, glaring at him with all the rage I could muster, but the pain in my body was getting more and more unbearable.

            “Theft.” I lied. Though really, it wasn’t that much of a lie. More like a half truth. Bones stared at me long and hard, as if he knew I was lying, like if he looked into my eyes long enough he could see into my head and find the truth. I felt a bead of sweat drip down the small of my back, but I refused to break the eye contact. Finally, Bones nodded minutely and looked away.

            “Well, Cloud,” He said my name like it tasted foul in his mouth. “From the very bottom of my heart, welcome to The Underground.”

 

 

I was sitting in a bunk, one of many in a large room of them, my knees pulled up to my chest and my eyes firmly shut. I was replaying Stormy’s voice in my head, her cries and screams of distress.

“Love you Clouds.”

I could feel hot tears carving their way down my cheeks like acid, one after the other, and they just kept coming. I had messed up, been sloppy, and I’d got caught. It was really no one else’s fault but my own, I had no one to lay the blame on, and so I let it rest in my own chest, the weight of it crushing and ever present and painful.

            “Not havin’ a good day?” I jumped at the sudden voice so close in front of me, my head snapping up. It was Beetle, with a kind smile plastered to his face that made me want to vomit. I quickly wiped at the tear tracks on my face, not that it mattered, he had already seen me sobbing my eyes out like a child. He moved to sit down on the end of the bunk and I scooted away slightly. “It’s tough,” He murmured, “Coming down here so suddenly. They rip you away from everyone and then you’re on that elevator and it’s all over.”

            “Yeah,” I sniffled, “Something like that.”

            “You can start over though, down here.” He said quietly, his eyes looking not at my face, but at my hands where they were fidgeting in my lap. I stayed quiet, and thought about that, about just forgetting my life above ground. Forgetting about Mom and Stormy and Angel, about forgetting the back alleys and shops and the dust and heat. To just forget it all and start again, down here, in some creaky, hot, nuclear bunkers. I looked up at Beetle to find him already looking at me, his eyes soft, gentle, like he was looking at a scared animal.

            “Maybe someday.” I said, not sure who I was lying to. Beetle stared for a couple more seconds, then nodded to himself, as if he’d achieved his goal, and stood up.

            “Let’s get you something to eat, yeah?” He asked, holding a hand out, and something, be it hunger or a voice in the back of my skull seeking companionship, made me put my hand in his and let him gently haul me to my feet. We didn’t talk much on the way to our destination, I just fell into step a couple paces behind Beetle, and he led me through the winding corridors again until we got to a massive archway, and walked inside.

            The room we entered into was huge, filled with metal tables and benches in neat lines. When I looked up, I saw a walkway around the perimeter of the room, far above, with a metal guard rail. When my gaze made its way back down I saw Beetle staring at me from a little ways away, a small smile on his face, and I flushed in embarrassment, running to catch up.

            “This is the dining hall,” Beetle told me once I was back by his side. “It’s open pretty much twenty four seven, but the provision packs _are_ rationed. You have a food card from the bag of stuff they gave you at your dorm?” He asked, and I held up the piece of grey plastic for him to see. I followed him towards the back of the hall, where there was an opening with a counter, and a girl standing behind it with her brown hair scooped up into a large bun on the top of her head. She smiled at Beetle as we approached.

            “Beetle! Showing the greenie around? He’s a cutie, look at him, he’s tiny!” She squealed, and I scowled at her from behind Beetle’s shoulder. She looked me up and down, grinning.

            “Daisy, this is Cloud, and he doesn’t take well to comments about his size.” Beetle said good-naturedly, making my head snap up to stare at the side of his face. He turned to smile at me over his shoulder. How had he figured me out so quickly? Was he actually paying that much attention? Back in the meeting room with Bones and the others, it had seemed like Beetle was off in another world, and he had disappeared immediately after showing me to my dorm. I tried to suppress the blush spreading across my face.

            “Aaw I’m sorry Cloud, you’re just so _cute!_ ” Daisy cried, and her high pitched voice was beginning to aggravate the pounding in my head. As if anyone would actually find me cute. I just crossed my arms and hid behind Beetle. Thankfully, Beetle took the cue, and ushered on the conversation.

            “We’re here for food.” He explained to the girl, and gestured for me to hold my food card forward. Daisy snatched the card away and held it under the scanner, making the machine beep once, and a small packet dropped out of a shoot to her left. Beetle grabbed it and turned to me, pressing it into my hands.

            “You’re not getting anything?” I asked when he began to walk away, and he shook his head, leading me to one of the empty metal tables. I slid into the bench, and he sat down across from me.

            “Already ate.” He answered, propping his head up on his hands. I set the provision pack down in front of me and stared at Beetle awkwardly, his eyes locking on mine, though he didn’t look uncomfortable at all. We were still for a long moment. “Go ahead.” He prodded, nodding at the pack laying in front of me. I glanced nervously down at it, swallowing my spit. Hesitantly I reached forward and grabbed the provision pack, ripping it open and glancing up at Beetle, who was watching me nonchalantly.

            “You’re just gonna watch?” I asked, incredulous. This got a chuckle out of the other man and he moved his hands into his lap.

            “No, I figured we could talk while you ate.” He replied, and I eyed him in doubt.

            “Not much talking going on.” I pointed out, reaching into the pack and pulling out a brown chunk of unidentifiable food, popping it into my mouth. Beetle laughed again. I tried to ignore the fact that his laugh was slowly setting me at ease, the same way as Angel’s did.

            “That’s true,” He murmured, then louder, “Well, do you have any family, up above?” The question felt too personal, too familiar, but I also felt it would be rude not to answer.

            “A mom,” I told him, after I’d finished chewing the tasteless food. “And a little sister. Stormy.” He smiled at that, and his eyes went softer, somehow softer than they’d already been.

            “I had a little brother, Mantis, he was six when I left,” Beetle said, and I cringed at that, the way he said ‘left’, as if it had been his choice to leave his brother and come down here. “Gods, he must be seventeen by now.” My mind blanked, and then caught up with me. I quickly did the math. Eleven years, eleven years down here, and Beetle could only be about eighteen. He had been seven when they’d dragged him away from his brother, drugged him, and thrown him in that rusty elevator. My hands began shaking, so I slipped them under my legs. Beetle was looking at me funny.

            “What about your mom?” He asked, and it felt like a subject change, which I was grateful for.

            “Wasn’t really that close with her.” I answered, and Beetle nodded.

            “And Stormy?” He asked. I stared at him.

            “What about her?”

            “Were you close with Stormy?” My stomach seized at that, the idea that I somehow could _not_ be close with Stormy. Beetle was still looking at me, eyes curious and soft. I swallowed thickly.

            “Stormy was my whole world.” I answered, the words spilling out of me like toxic waste. “I would have killed for her.”

 

 

Beetle had walked me back to my dorm and then disappeared, leaving me to sit on my bunk and think about things. Mostly about Stormy, of course, but also about _the guard_. Soldiers were corrupt in every sense of the word, basically one step from living in the biospheres, but that didn’t mean he deserved to die like that, crumpled on a set of stairs, bones broken and bleeding out slowly. Had he died immediately, on impact? Or had he laid there suffering, after I’d run away? Unable to move or call for help or do anything to save himself? All he could do was pray to whatever gods he believed in for forgiveness or redemption or whatever he needed in his last minutes on earth.

I was pulled out of my spiraling thoughts then by a sharp movement in the corner of my eyes, startling me. My eyes snapped up, and what I saw had my stomach trying desperately to claw its way up my throat. He was standing there, the guard, at the end of my bunk. His eyes were dark and hollow, but other than that, he was completely fine, his body in perfect condition, just as it had been when I’d first seen him at the end of the hall.

I hadn’t moved a muscle, hadn’t breathed, but then he was moving towards me and I was scrambling backwards until my back collided with the wall at the head of the bunk. The guard chuckled and continued his advance, taking a seat halfway up the bed.

“You didn’t think you could get rid of me just by killing me, did you?” He was saying, and my throat seized up. “C’mon Cloud, that’ so unoriginal.” He mocked, and his voice began to sound strange, distorted. As if he was speaking through water. “No, little boy, I’m gonna’ be with you ‘till the day you die.”

As I watched, my body paralyzed with horror, his limbs began to contort and snap, blood began to trickle from his eyes and mouth, and he only started laughing. It was a horrible, inhuman laugh, as he choked on the blood pouring from his lips.

I forced my aching body from the bunk, to carry me out of the dorm room as fast as it could. I didn’t know where I was going, the corridors were like a massive labyrinth that I had no idea how to navigate, all I knew was to get away from the guard. The more I ran, the more lost I got, and as the metal walls blended one into another, he found me, appearing again and again in front of me. No matter how many corners I turned, he was there, bloody and broken.

            “You watched me fall!” He screamed, his voice distorted and shrill, he was furious. “You were the reason I was falling Cloud! I didn’t even scream, didn’t have time! I’d been too scared!” My breaths were coming quicker and quicker, as my legs carried me down the corridor, I passed people, who gave me little thought, and just kept walking. I wasn’t in The Underground anymore, I was back in that Provisions facility, hovering over that railing and staring down at the guard’s crumpled form far below.

            It had been like something from a nightmare, how he laid there, unmoving. He hadn’t even looked like a person anymore, the way his limbs were bent, broken surely. And gods, the blood, so much blood. I had never seen an ocean, but that must be what they were like, huge and all-encompassing and horrifying.

“You ran away! Like a coward!” The guard screamed, right in my ear now. Or maybe not a coward, I tried to reason, maybe I had been being brave. Maybe I had run not for myself, but for Stormy, for Mom. After all, if I wasn’t around to steal provision packs, Stormy wouldn’t have anything to eat.

Suddenly I realized the gravity of that, how my being down here didn’t just impact me, wasn’t just my end, but also Stormy’s. I stumbled, falling against the wall, my chest heaving and my vision blurry. Someone was in front of me, saying something, their hands on me, and I shoved them off and took to running. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I knew I had to get to her, had to get back above ground and wrap Stormy up in my arms. I kept running, turning corners and shoving people out of my way, panicked, shaky, and running out of breath, until I’d come to a dead end.

It was a store room or something, a bunch of those metal tables from the dining hall were stacked up in short towers in the dark, dusty room. I came to a stop inside, head whipping around. It was useless, I knew, no one came back out from The Underground. I crossed the room to one of the table towers and went onto my hands and knees, crawling underneath and curling up into a ball in the dust. My thoughts were still racing, but my energy and fight had left me. The guard was suddenly laying in front of me, from one blink to the next. He was wound free again, his skin unmarred, his limbs unbroken.

“Why did you kill me, Cloud?” He asked, his voice normal and nearly kind.

“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered, then corrected myself. “For stormy.” A trickle of blood fell from between the guard’s lips and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, he was gone.

It was quiet in this part of The Underground, no voices or footsteps. It was clear wherever I was, no one often came here. I’m not sure how long I laid there, curled up, what felt like minutes could have been hours, there in the dark. I let my mind go blank after a while, only occasional thoughts of Stormy crossing behind my closed eyelids. Her awkward, toothy grin. Her long, dark eyelashes. I thought about her first birthday. We’d just celebrated it a year from the day I’d brought her home, had gotten a small pastry from the shops, and Angel had come to the apartment, had brought her a little electric mouse that ran across the floor.

I stayed under that table for an eternity, until it felt something like a home, if I closed my eyes and imagined really hard; and if I was tempted to just let my body slowly rot away curled up in the dust and the darkness, well, no one needed to know.


	3. DAY 3 The First Rule Of Fight Club Is Dont Kiss Your Opponent

                I didn’t sleep, under that table, only let my mind wander from place to place in a lazy crawl. I thought about Stormy a lot, of course, but I also thought about Angel. She was my oldest and only friend, one of the few constants in my life, or at least she had been. I don’t even remember meeting her, she had just always been there, running through the dusty streets by my side, barefoot and full of excitement.

Angel’d had a dad, at one point, who had once told me his name was Aspen. He had been an unusually tall, lanky man, with hair just as red and wild as hers, and eyes greener than anything I’d ever seen. Thinking about it now, I suppose he had been just as much my dad as he had been hers. He was a techie, like Angel, and I remember sitting in their apartment at the kitchen table, just watching him work. It was like magic, the way his long nimble fingers took things apart and put them back together.

“My mum told me I have hands made for playing piano,” He’d told me once, “Whatever that means.”

He died of tuberculosis, when Angel was seven and I was six, laying in his own sick sweat and coughing up blood. Mom had tried to help him, had gotten plants and herbs and things from the shops and crushed them into teas and pastes that were supposed to help. They didn’t.

And so Angel lived with me and Mom until she was nine, and then she decided she was gonna’ make it on her own. Mom had tried to stop her, but Angel had always been a particularly headstrong child, and so she set up a blanket just outside the market and started fixing tech for dirt cheap prices, until she had enough saved up to buy a small booth, and then eventually the money from that bought her a tiny apartment.

It hurt to think about the past, about my life before I’d ended up down here. It all seemed so far away now, as if it had happened in a different lifetime, to someone other than me. I wouldn’t admit to crying, later, but the tears that made their way down the sides of my face helped, in a sad, hollow sort of way. Helped to relieve some of the pressure building in the cavern of my chest. I cried for a long, long time, until I had no more tears in me, and where I’d retreated into the very back of my skull, I took that as my sign to get up.

I crawled out from under the tables, my knees leaving tracks in the dust on the floor, and made my way out of the room. I began to wander, not sure of my destination. Every hallway looked nearly identical, save for different doors and archways. I peered into them as I passed, trying to build a mental map of the area. I came to a doorway after a while, and upon looking in it sparked my interest. Without thinking much, I let my legs carry me into the room.

The space was large, larger than any room I’d yet been in while in The Underground. It was full of people, paired off or in small groups, and at first I couldn’t figure out what they were doing. It soon became clear though that they were sparring, taking turns throwing out fists or legs, dodging and jumping and rolling. I walked the perimeter of the room, captivated by the shows of strength and dexterity.

One pair though, caught my eye, and I slid down the wall to sit and watch. It wasn’t as much the pair, as the man who was clearly winning. He was tall and slim, but obviously muscular, with dark tan skin. His hair was long and brown, scooped up into a messy bun. What really caught my attention though was his face, the look of calm determination in his eyes, and a small smile on his lips. He moved with a graceful fluidity, like a wild cat taking down its prey. He was fast too, his arms and legs moving so fast that at times I couldn’t see them clearly. The fight was over quickly, the man’s opponent ending up flat on the ground with his hands up. The other people who had been standing around them moved in to congratulate the man, my eyes not leaving his triumphant face.

His gaze snapped suddenly to mine from across the room, and held me like that for a long moment. The man smiled at me, making something in my chest seize uncomfortably, but when he started walking towards me, panic swelled up into my throat. I stood quickly, flinching at the pain that flared up my legs, and began making my way back around the edge of the room. I looked over my shoulder to see that the man had stopped walking and was just staring at me, watching my retreat in clear confusion. I exited the room at a near run, and didn’t look back again.

Back in the halls, I worked on calming my breathing to a more reasonable pace. I wasn’t sure why I had reacted like that, why a man approaching me had me hightailing it out of there. Maybe it had been that he had caught me staring, maybe it had been a simple case of embarrassment. I rounded a corner and ducked into the first door I came upon, which happened to be a communal shower.

The showers didn’t seem to provide much privacy, and I cringed at the thought of having to clean myself here at some point. I turned away from the showers and towards a row of metal sinks with small mirrors hung above them. I padded towards them, grateful for the fact that the bathroom was empty, and moved to stand in front of one the sinks. I braced my arms on the metal basin and stared down at the drain, avoiding the mirrors for a long moment. Finally though, I braced myself and slowly raised my eyes to meet the ones reflected in the mirror.

I had never really been much to look at, too small, too thin and breakable, like a sick little bird; but especially _now,_ with bruises and scrapes covering my face and shoulder, well, I didn’t paint a pretty picture. I stood there for a while, inspecting my appearance, picking myself apart and pointing out all the flaws. My nose was too wide, too large, and my eyes were too far apart. Not to mention my hair, which hung in sad, greasy clumps around my too-bony face.

            I was pulled out of my revere by a group of guys busting into the bathroom, loud and rowdy. I eyed them in the mirror as they came in, jumping around and shoving at each other, not moving from my spot for fear of calling attention to myself. It worked for a moment, and they didn’t notice me at first, but soon enough one of them had, and suddenly they were all coming towards me, closing in around me. I turned slowly, pressing my back into the edge of the sink and trying to stop myself from beginning to shake, to keep up a brave façade.

            “What do we have here?” Their obvious leader jeered, stepping to the front of the pack. “Haven’t seen your pretty face around before, a greenie then?” He was pacing back and forth in front of me, like a caged animal, waiting for the optimal moment to strike.

            “He’s got a face like a chick!” Someone shouted, and my eyes snapped away from the leader to scan the group gathered behind him. They were grinning, nudging each other and pointing at me, their faces malicious. “Pretty as a doll.” Someone else taunted, and then all the others were calling out jeers too. Their leader quieted them, inching closer to me.

            “You got a faction babe?” He asked, and I simply shook my head, not even sure what a faction was, scanning past him for an escape route. “Who bruised up your pretty face then?” He questioned next, but I somehow knew it wasn’t a question I was supposed to answer. “Join my faction and I won’t let anyone touch you-‘cept me.” He sneered and his gang lit up at that. I cringed.

            “No thanks.” I was saying before my brain could catch up with me, and the guys face visibly darkened. I inched towards the side, where the group behind his was thinnest, counting on my speed and surprise to get me out of the bathroom.

            “No?” He murmured, getting closer and closer. “You want a moment to rethink that babe?” I swallowed, my legs tensing up in preparation of my next move. I resisted the urge to look past him, knowing that he would see and guess what I was planning. He was right in front of me now, but he was tall, and I knew I could duck under his arms if he tried to stop me.

            “I think I’m good.” I answered. I hadn’t anticipated how short his temper apparently was though, and the next thing I knew, his arm was above his head, flying towards my face. My eyes involuntarily flew shut, my heart stopping in my chest. The blow never came though.

            “Ship, why don’t you stop being a violent try hard and leave the kid alone?” I opened my eyes to see ‘Ship’s’ hand a foot or so away from my face, and a tan hand gripping him by the wrist, effectively stopping the slap. My gaze followed the arms up, to find the man from before, from the sparring room, standing there, taller than Ship, saving me from the hit. My jaw fell open, and I stared at him in shock.

            He was handsome, now that I saw him close up, his features angular and sharp. He had a long nose and fierce, angled, brown eyes. The most interesting thing about his face though, was the scar running from under his left eye all the way down to his jaw, deep and wide, but white, obviously old. His eyes flickered to me, calm and surprisingly kind.

            And then I was ducking past the both of them, shoving through the group of guys and their grabbing hands, and right out the door. I kept running, without much thought in my head, until a strong hand grabbed me by the wrist, effectively spinning me and bringing me to a stop. It was the man with the scar, and I ripped my arm out of his grasp. I stumbled back a little bit, but somehow convinced my flight response to chill out for once. I stared at him, my chest heaving from the exertion of running, and scowled. He was barely winded. He just smiled a little bit and held his hands up. I stared him down, my eyebrows furrowed.

            “I’m Blue, leader of the Granite Fox faction.” He said finally, holding his hand out for me to shake. I stared at his outstretched hand for a long time, thinking he would eventually take the hint and lower it, but he never did. My scowl deepened, but I reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it loosely.

            “I’m Cloud, leader of the “I don’t have a faction” faction.” I said sarcastically, and Blue chuckled warmly. I wrapped my arms around my waist.

            “I can change that.” He replied, causing me to roll my eyes, and he backtracked, “If you want, I mean. You don’t have to join, obviously. It’s your choice. Whether or not you join, that is.” I smirked slightly at his rambling, and he cut himself off. It was quiet for a moment. “So is that a no?” He asked.

            “I’ll think about it.” I told him, and he smiled, making my face warm up slightly.

            “You were watching my fight.” He said suddenly, and my heartbeat sped up. I grabbed at the soft flesh around my middle roughly to ground myself.

            “Yes.” I replied simply. Blue smiled, his face lighting up ever so slightly. My brain was going a million miles a minute.

            “Do you fight?” He questioned, and a laugh bubbled up from my chest, echoing loudly in the metal hallway.

            “I scratch and bite, like a feral cat.” I explained, and watched as Blue smirked slightly, my guts in knots, but I felt slightly…confident? I swallowed thickly.

            “Do you want to learn?” He asked, sounding excited. We were still standing awkwardly in the hallway, several feet apart, and maybe the distance was what made me feel confident, comfortable; decisive.

            “Yes.” I was saying, and Blue was grinning.

 

                        Falling on my ass for the five hundredth time hurt. A lot. I tried not to let it show on my face though, even if the way it jostled my aching muscles and bruises made me want to curl up and cry like a baby.

            “You’ve got to stand firm, don’t let it knock you off balance.” Blue said, and offered me a hand up. I took it gratefully, even if I normally wouldn’t. The thought of trying to stand on my own at this point was quite daunting. If I could say anything good for Blue, it was that he wasn’t taking it easy on me, wasn’t treating me like a fragile child who couldn’t take it. Once I was on my feet again, I fell back into the defensive stance Blue had taught me, my feet apart and my arms up to shield myself.

            “I’m ‘gonna go again, don’t let me knock you down this time.” He told me, his voice gentle and reassuring, and I nodded. His leg flew up then, and I moved my arms as fast as I could, so that the blow collided with them instead of my gut. “Nice!” Blue cheered, and I stomped on the pride swelling in my gut. “Again.” He said, and then his leg was coming at me. Every time I successfully blocked, Blue would praise me, and then mercilessly strike again, until I was breathing hard from exertion and my arms ached.

            “Well look at you princess!” I heard, and my head whipped around to find Bones and Rouge approaching us, just as Blue threw out another kick. His leg collided solidly with my gut, sending me sprawling backwards onto my back, the air knocked out of me. I laid there, wheezing, as Blue’s face appeared above me, worried and apologetic. I heard Bones cackling somewhere to my right. I just closed my eyes and grasped at my stomach, feeling a hand on my shoulder.

            “And here I was ‘gonna tell ya’ you were doin’ good.” Bones mocked, and I opened my eyes solely to find him and glare at his stupidly chiseled face. He and Rouge were now standing above me, Rouge looking worried, and Bones looking like he’d just seen the funniest thing in the world. I shrugged Blue’s hand off my shoulder from where he was kneeled next to me and sat up, as much as it hurt.

            “What are you doing here, Bones?” Blue spat, standing up, and I looked up to his face to find that all the gentleness that had previously been there had vanished. He was staring Bones down with a fire in his eyes that made me want to run and hide. Rouge helped me to my feet, and I wrapped my arms around my stomach, suddenly feeling self-conscience in the loose tank top Blue had loaned me. “You don’t often mingle with your loyal subjects.” Blue finished and I looked to Bones, who was considering Blue with equal ferocity in his expression.

            “Heard the greenie was taking up a bit of combat training from our local master, had to see it for myself. Didn’t know I was ‘gonna get to see him get the shit kicked out of him though.” Bones sneered, and suddenly his eyes were on me, and I felt incredibly small, yet incredibly _angry._

            “You’re into that, aren’t you? Watching people get hurt.” I spat, and Bones faltered, his eyes looking, for the life of me, lost. He recovered quickly though, his eyes regaining that casual cockiness, like he knew himself to always be in the right.

            “Only when the one getting hurt is as _pretty_ as you, doll.” Bones jeered, stepping towards me, getting up in my space just as he had in the meeting room that first day. I squawked indignantly at that, the pet names and the false compliments. Again, the confidence was surging within me, filling me up and making me lightheaded with it; making me do stupid things like step closer to Bones’ broad chest until it was nearly pressing into my own.

            “You’re a sick bastard, you know that?” I spat and jabbed him roughly in the chest with one of my bony fingers to punctuate the sentence, my head tilted up to keep eye contact with him. He was more than a head taller than me, which did little for my pride. This close, I could see the flecks of color in his eyes, that they weren’t just grey, but had streaks of stony blues and near purples in them. Bones’ laugh startled me out of that train of thought.

            “You really know how to flatter a gal, doll face, I’m swooning.” His eyes were alight with mirth and playfulness and fire. It made me want to smash things.

            “Wasn’t a compliment, _babe.”_ I taunted, using the name Ship had used on me in the bathroom. We were impossibly close now, almost breathing each other’s air, and if I hadn’t been so damn angry I would have felt embarrassed, would have noticed the way Blue was watching with something dangerous in his eyes, or the way Rouge was smirking.

            Bones smirked at me, playful and venomous, and I glared up at him, trying to figure out the roll of emotions in my gut, just anger and annoyance, surely. It was enough time for Blue to interject though, and suddenly Bones eyes were snapping away from my face and towards the other man. As soon as Bones’ gaze was off of me, I deflated, the tremors building up slowly in my hands. My emotions caught up with me then, and I stumbled backwards away from the taller man, suddenly aware of how damn _close_ we had been. I felt Rouge move into my side, though she didn’t touch me.

            “Why don’t you go find something else to do Bones, we were busy.” Blue was saying, crossing his arms. Bones just laughed.

            “Busy with what? Teachin’ the dame how to fight? I bet all he can do is flail and scratch whatever he comes into contact with.” And yeah, that was pretty accurate actually, and Blue knew it. I’d told him as much on the walk to his dorm to get clothes.

            “Probably better than you can do.” Blue said, and Bones laughed loudly, manically.

            “Yeah right,” He sneered, “I could take you down like you’re a starving kitten.” His eyes darted over to me, and I glared, fury rising up in my throat. Beside me, I heard Rouge sigh.

            “Then prove it.” Blue said confidently and took a couple steps back, falling into a loose fighting stance. The grin fell slowly from Bones’ face, and he looked at Rouge. She gave him a look I couldn’t decipher, and then he was shaking his head and stepping towards Blue.

            They began circling each other, slowly, neither moving to throw out a punch or kick, just circling and staring each other down. This continued for a while, then suddenly, faster than I’d even seen Blue move, Bones was moving forward, his arm flying towards the other man. A startled gasp had left me before I could stop it, but the punch didn’t connect, Blue simply blocked it, and then they were back to circling.

            A crowd was beginning to form a circle around the two, abandoning their own fights to watch, packing in behind me and Rouge. The claustrophobia began to set in, the feeling of having no means of escape, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the two men in front of me, circling each other like feral beasts, and so I swallowed my fear and stayed where I was.

            Blue was moving forward next, his fist flying towards Bones, who knocked it to the side like it was nothing and stepped quickly into the other man’s space. He jabbed at Blue’s face, and since he was so close, the man had no time to block, Bones’ blow made contact, and the tan man fell backwards. I watched, startled, as blood slowly trickled from Blue’s nose, who simply wiped the back of his hand across it and fell back into his stance. Blue lunged forward, feigning a punch towards Bones’ gut, and when the man went to block, propelled his leg at Bone’s side, making him stumble.

            Blue didn’t give him any time to recover, just started assaulting him with a barrage of kicks that pushed Bones to the side, causing the crowd to have to stumble out of the way. Soon enough though, Bone’s was used to it, and caught Blue’s leg midair, shoving him backwards. The brown haired man didn’t fall, merely stumbled, but it gave Bones an opening to attack.

            The crowd was going crazy with excitement, people had chosen someone to cheer on and were screaming their name; some people were even forming bets. I, however, was watching in fascinated silence. It was beautiful to me, the way they moved, their bodies nearly liquid, fast as a whip, or a bullet. It had something in me shriveling up sadly, knowing that I would never be able to fight like that. I would forever be the bloody, scrappy kid getting his ass beat in a back alley, clawing and biting ‘cause he refuses to give up and die, but with no means to actually _win._

I snapped back into reality as Blue’s back collided with the ground, and then Bones was on top of him, his knuckles connecting sickeningly one more time with the man’s cheekbone. I fell forward a couple steps, crying out in shock, and then Rouge was brushing past me and hauling Bones backwards off of Blue. I rushed forward to fall clumsily by Blue’s side, my shaking hands coming up to touch his bloody face, but I stopped them at the last second, and they hovered there in the air above him, shaking violently.

            It was the blood, it must have been, because suddenly I was staring down two stories of stairs, at a broken, dead body. I fell then, those two stories, just as the guard had, but before I hit the ground I blinked, and the guard stared up at me from where Blue was laying, though it wasn’t Blue anymore. It was like a memory from long ago when the blood started to trickle out from his to pool on the ground around his head.

            “M’ fine.” I heard him rasp, and then he was sitting up, and it was Blue again, and my hands were falling uselessly to my sides. I continued to stare at the ground even when Blue had stood, to stare hollowly, feeling myself fall again and again. When I felt a hand grab my shoulder I couldn’t hold in the startled shout that escaped my throat, or stop myself from scrambling backwards, away from it. When I managed to focus my eyes I found Blue staring down at me, concern clear on his face. My eyes darted past him, to where Bones and Rouge were standing, Rouge looking like she was going to come towards me, and Bones looking…worried? And…guilty?

            Behind them, the crowd was beginning to murmur, their eyes also on me, and I scanned from face to face, until my eyes fell on a particular face, and bile rose up in my throat. It was the guard, standing amongst them like he wasn’t _dead_. Scrambling to my feet, I looked back to Blue, but then he wasn’t Blue, he was the guard, and his limbs were beginning to bend and snap.

            “You killed me Cloud!” He shrieked, and it was all very familiar, like a recurring nightmare, like I was stuck in an endless loop. I was moving then, past Blue and past Bones and Rouge and into the crowd. I could hear Bones yelling my name behind me, but I didn’t stop, just kept running, running, running.

            I knew where I was going, somehow, knew how to get back to that abandoned room, with those tables; knew how to get _home._ My legs carried me there, while my mind was still panicking, dropped down to get me under the table. I curled up again, on my side, so that I could face him when he appeared, and sure enough, as if he were a mirage brought on by heat sickness, as I blinked, suddenly he was laying on his side in front of me. His face was mere inches from my own.

“Why did you kill me, Cloud?” He asked, with that gentle, almost fatherly voice. I refused to close my eyes when the blood began to pour.

“For Stormy.” I whispered, and when I blinked again, the guard had vanished, leaving me to lay alone in my dust and darkness; and even though it hurt, I thought again of the past.


	4. DAY 4 The Storms That Will End The Draught

Once, when Stormy was around two, she had gotten sick. Really sick. It wasn’t tuberculosis, Mom had assured me, even though I hadn’t asked. She just knew somehow that the idea had burrowed its way into my brain and made a nest there, that it was waking me up in the middle of the night to crawl from the bed and stumble over to the open dresser drawer we had converted into a makeshift crib and check on the little girl sleeping there. She wasn’t so much sleeping as rolling around in a feverish sweat, but the fact that she was moving at all, and there was no blood around her tiny lips, was enough to let me return to the bed.

We didn’t know _what_ it was, and that was somehow worse, because Mom didn’t know how to help her. She would go down to the shops and get those herbs and plants, as she had for Aspen, would make every medicinal tea she knew of; the ones her own mom had taught her. Nothing seemed to help though, and as time progressed and it got hotter with the coming of summer, Stormy got sicker.

She lay perpetually in her drawer, restless, sweaty; crying. I would drag a kitchen chair over to the dresser and sit by her, letting her wrap her chubby fingers around one of my own. She was hot, too hot, and grew more feverish by the day. When the cough came, my panic set in, and as it grew more frequent, hoarser, wracked her skinny frame, I knew I had to do something. I made sure Mom was there to watch over her, and slipped out of the apartment one afternoon, into the dry summer heat.

I went to the local doctor, who I’d never met before, never been able to afford, and pounded on his door until he wrenched it open angrily and stared me down with an annoyed look in his eye. He was surprisingly young, maybe 25, with curly brown hair and large glasses perched on his hooked nose. I’d somehow managed to convince him to let me in, and told him about my sister’s sickness, about the fever and the cough. He said something about medicine, was pulling a glass bottle full of milky liquid out of a cabinet, when I let it drop that I had no money to pay for it. He had scowled and slammed the bottle down on a nearby table and began ushering me towards the door.

“Wait!” I had screamed, digging my heels into the ground and grabbling at the wall. “I can pay you somehow else!”

“You’re wasting my time, kid, you have nothing I want.” He said, and we were nearly at the door. He had been much stronger than me, even for his wiry frame.

“Labor!” I shouted, “You must have work you want done! I’ll work it off! Please, she can’t die, she can’t die!” We were at the door now, and he was reaching past me to yank it open. I braced my arms on the door frame as he pushed on my back, and I was babbling. “She doesn’t deserve to die! She’s the only good thing in this world sir! You have to see that! She’s the Storms! The Storms that’ll end the draught!”

The pressure on my back suddenly let up after a moment, and I nearly fell backwards into the shop, if it were not for the doctor catching me. He straightened me up, set me back on my feet, and turned me around to face him in choppy movements, and eyed me with an unreadable expression. I stared at him with huge eyes, my chest heaving. Suddenly, he nodded once and reached past me to pull the door closed.

“How old are you, kid?” He questioned, crossing his arms and eyeing me up and down, as if he was really taking me in for the first time since seeing me.

“Eighteen.” I answered confidently.

“Interesting. How old are you really?” He had smirked, and a blush crept up my neck at being caught in the lie. I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked back on my heels.

“Sixteen.” I told him, “Honest.” And he was nodding again.

“And you’ve read Bishop’s When It Storms A Sea?” The question, more of an accusation, shocked me down to my core.

“The storms.” I murmured, quoting the book by heart, “The storms that will end the draught. It’s what I named her after.” I told him, solemnly. He was turning then, and disappearing back into the other room, but before I could follow, he was returning with the glass bottle of medicine in hand. He held it out to me, and it took everything in me not to snatch it out of his hand right away. I grabbed it gingerly, cradling it to my chest.

“A teaspoon once in the morning and once nightly, until the cough subsides.” He said, beginning to herd me towards the door again. “Be here at seven tomorrow morning, and I’ll finding _something_ for you to do as payment.” He shoved me unceremoniously out the door and into the late afternoon heat, urging me down the street with a flick of his wrist. I stumbled a few steps, the medicine still clutched tightly to my chest.

“Oh and kid,” I heard the doctor call after me. “My name’s Storms.”

 

 

I startled out of sleep like a scared cat, sitting up so quickly that my skull slammed into the underside of the table I was under, and I cursed loudly, biting my lip to hold in the string of colorful expletives threatening to fall from my mouth. I had no idea what time it was, no way of telling, anyway, down here. Gingerly, I crawled out from under the table, the motion feeling familiar and soothing. When I had stood, I stretched out my cramped muscles, questioning the intelligence of sleeping curled up under a table.

I picked my way back to my dorm, falling gracelessly onto my bunk face first. The mattress, as stiff and springy as it was, felt like heaven on my sore, aching joints. I laid there for a while, the people in the room moving and talking around me. I zoned out their conversations, reveling in the mattress and the scent of mildew and moth balls emanating from my blanket.

“Greenie.” I heard above me, and yeah, that was me. I groaned dramatically into my pillow, the effect somewhat muffled, and heard a chuckle from the person who had spoken. “Bones wants to see you.” And that had me groaning again, for ten full seconds, somewhat close to a scream, and the messenger was laughing boisterously above me. Finally, I lifted my head from the pillow and rolled my head to the side to look at them. It was a man, blonde hair and brown, droopy eyes, and the worst mustache I had ever seen.

“Why?” I questioned, and the man shook his head.

“Didn’t say.” He answered, nodding towards the door. “Come on then.” I scowled and propped myself up on my arms.

“What if I don’t wanna’ go?” I spat, my patience with Bones currently at zero percent. Mustache man frowned at that, and had the nerve to look uncomfortable.

“Well, uh, Bones said you might refuse. He gave orders to... uh, ‘use appropriate force if necessary.’” Mustache was frowning deeply at the ground, and I felt about as upset as he looked, except about ten times more. I sat up, the movement catching Mustache’s eye, and he just looked so damn uncomfortable. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be…” and forget Mustache, and forget Bones and his stupid superiority complex, and forget ‘appropriate force if necessary’.

So I did the reasonable thing and elbowed Mustache in the gut with one of my unreasonably pointy elbows, and made a break for the door. Mustache caught up with me though, because _of course_ he did, and wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me entirely off the ground, where I began flailing and trying to get my elbows into something on his body that would hurt. If only Blue could see me now.

“Nothing to see here, folks!” Mustache shouted into the dorm, at the people staring at us as he hauled me towards the door like an unreasonable toddler throwing a tantrum. “This is a leadership matter, go about your business as normal!”

In the end, Mustache dumped me on the floor of the meeting room with scratches up and down his exposed arms, several bleeding bite marks, and a bloody (probably broken) nose, from where I’d managed to brutally slam my skull back into his face. I scrambled to my feet, seething with rage, and finally took in the shocked faces staring at me. The five from the first time where there, their expressions ranging from horror to pride, but when my eyes fell on Bones, my rage was renewed times a hundred.

“You.” I growled, and at least the man had the decency to look a little bit ashamed, for a split second. His face was quickly returning to it usual self-assured cockiness soon enough though, and I felt ready to fly across the room and strangle him, even if I knew the others would probably murder me for it. “Who gave you the damn right to tell me what-“

“Look what you’ve done to poor River’s face!” Bones interrupted, and I blinked at him, then spun to look at the blonde man still standing behind me, blood pouring down his face. I would have felt bad, except for the fact that he had manhandled me down a corridor against my will. I turned back to Bones, glaring with all my might. “His mustache is all bloody because of you.” Bones tutted, like he was scolding a small child, and my hands tightened into fists, raising as if I could wrap them around his neck and just squeeze.

“You………you…you!” I shouted something wordless in frustration and paced forward, saw Checkmate step towards me slightly out of the corner of my eye; and that was a funny thought, that _I_ could somehow be a threat to _Bones._ “You ordered him to grab me out of my bed and carry me here like a sack of potatoes! He deserved what he got! And if I manage to break your stupid nose then you’ll deserve that too!” I screamed, and heard the rest of Bones’ groupies start laughing. I was still angry, furious even, but hearing them laugh at me had me shrinking back, suddenly feeling small again; small and defenseless and stupid. “You’re a damn bully Bones, and I’m not in the mood to put up with bullies down here too.” I spat, then turned on my heel and walked out the door, shoving Mustache for good measure. I made it a little ways down the hall though, before Bones was behind me, his large callused hand wrapped around my wrist.

“Hold up Doll.” He said, and I tried to rip my arm from his grasp, but he held firm, pulling me to a stop. I spun on him, my anger reaching its peak, whether from stress or lack of sleep, and slashed my hand down his face, raking my blunt nails through soft flesh. He reeled back, but kept his hold on my wrist. Bones stared at me as the scratch marks began to turn bright red and raised. The hall was silent, save for our loud breathing echoing off the walls.

“Ow.” The man said finally, and I gave my arm a firm tug; he refused to let go.

“Let. Go.” I spit out, and for once, Bones’ face stayed carefully serious.

“No. Not until you stop running around like a feral raccoon and listen to what I have to say.” He said, and I scowled at the comparison, but stayed put. Mostly because my arm still wouldn’t budge. Bones cleared his throat. “I just, well, yesterday in the training room, after the fight. I don’t know what happened but… you looked really upset and, I think it was my fault so…” Bones fell silent, and closed his eyes, like the words were hard to say. He cleared his throat again. “Listen, what I’m trying to say is,” then under his breath, “Oh damn you Rouge.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, refusing to meet my gaze. “What I’m trying to say is. I’m sorry.”

I stared, my breath caught in my throat, and then stared for a while longer. My brain couldn’t process it, couldn’t connect _those_ words coming out _that_ man’s mouth. “What…?” I finally breathed out.

“Oh for gods’ sake I’m not saying it again.” Bones groaned, and finally released my arm, which fell limply to my side, my impulse to run temporarily banished. “I felt bad, so I apologized. There. It’s done. Had I known you fight like a rabid ferret and can apparently take care of yourself, I wouldn’t have bothered.” He complained, and I could swear he looked embarrassed, deep under his carefully schooled expression. I was silent, because silence was my normal, and apparently normalcy was being thrown out the window right now; I wanted it back. Apparently my brain didn’t care what I wanted, because suddenly my mouth was moving and words were coming out.

“Thank you.” I heard myself say, and my eyes widened about as much as Bones’ did. Then the silence came, and so did the urge to back slowly down the hall and around the corner, out of the man’s sight. I didn’t though, because apparently I was into suffering now. Then something in Bones’ face softened, and then his lips were twitching, and then he was _smiling_ ; and it went all the way up to those grey eyes. My brain stopped processing then. “Right. Well, yes. Yes. Goodbye then.” And then I did back down the hall, around the corner, out of Bones’ sight, and then sprinted away. And If Bones could probably hear my boots pounding off down the metal corridor, well, I could worry about that another time.

 

Blue had found me in my dorm, sitting on my bunk and staring absentmindedly at a group of girls putting colorful stuff on each other’s nails and giggling. I had been trying not to think too hard, really at all, about what had happened with Bones. It had my emotions doing backflips in my stomach, confusing the hell out of me every time I remembered him _apologizing._ It was so far out of character for him that I no longer knew who I thought Bones was. He was an arrogant, violent asshole; and arrogant assholes don’t say they’re sorry.

Blue had pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts though by plopping onto the end of my bunk. I blinked at him and he smiled genuinely, giving a small wave. “You busy Cloud?” He asked. I shook my head, because no, I wasn’t busy terrorizing myself thinking about Bones and his stupid face. “Me and some guys are getting together to play a war game, if you want in.” I gave him a confused look.

“War game?” I questioned, blankly. Blue chuckled.

“It’s kind’a like play pretend, but more violent.” He explained, and stood up. “You’ll like it, I can explain on the way.”

Blue led me out of the dorm and to his, where we approached two tall men standing by his bunk. I lagged back a little, subtly using Blue as a human shield. As we got closer, I eyed the men with interest, they looked- the same. Twins then. They were skinny, but not scrawny, about Blue’s height, with medium length, blonde curly hair, and large, light eyes. Handsome, but not particularly so. They introduced themselves as Magpie and Starling, and took turns shaking my hand. After the introductions, Blue handed me a dark long sleeved shirt, and I stared down at it in my hands.

“You can keep it.” Blue said nonchalantly, pulling his own shirt over his head. “I noticed you only have the one sweater, and you’ll get too hot in it during the game.” I nodded and turned away, to keep him from seeing the blush creeping up my neck. After a moment of hesitance, I choppily yanked Beetle’s sweater off. I tried not to feel Blue’s and the twins’ eyes on my scrawny back, on the bruises, as I quickly changed into the new shirt. When I turned back around they were all three looking at me, and I shrunk into myself. The shirt would have been skin tight on Blue, but on my tiny body, it was just barely fitted.

We left the dorm and Blue led us through the halls towards an area I’d not yet been. When we came to a stairwell, I faltered, Magpie knocking into my back. Blue stopped and looked over his shoulder, his face falling. He turned and came towards me, his eyes full of worry.

“Cloud? What’s wrong?” He asked gently, and I was thankful that he didn’t move to touch me. I was looking past him, at the railing and the space past it where the ground dropped out. I shook my head to clear the thoughts. No. I was sick of panic, sick of feeling ready to puke. I was going to have a good time, damn it.

“I’m fine.” I said stiffly. Blue stared at me, his eyes still full of worry. “Let’s go.” I brushed past him, my back stiff. It was silent for a moment, and then I heard the three begin to follow after me. Blue moved to my side, his presence steadying me. We clambered down the stairs for a while, the light shining down on us dim, but red, like the flashing lights at the provisions facility. By the time we had gotten down a level and emerged from the stairwell, my whole body was shaking, and my nails had dug bloody crescents into my palms.

Blue led the group through the corridors for a while, until we came to a door and he held it open for us. We entered into a medium sized room, inside of which there where two other guys already waiting. One was unfathomably tall, broad, like a brick wall. He had brown hair, similar to Checkmates, and a square face. His eyes were kind though, and when he saw us he grinned broadly. The other guy was rather short in comparison, almost as short as me. He had electric blue hair, spiked out sharply in different directions, and a manic grin on his face that revealed unnaturally sharp canines.

“He _is_ a pretty one!” The blue haired guy yelled, and beside me, I felt Blue go rigid. I scowled when the man whistled.

“India, I will not hesitate to put you in medical, and you know that.” Blue growled as he dove forward and grabbed the man to put him in a headlock. They began tussling, though I could tell it was somewhat friendly. I watched on in amusement until the giant slid up beside me.

“That was somewhat meant as a compliment, just so you know,” The man said, watching the other two. “India says he’s sick of hearing Blue talk about you, but we all know he’s just jealous he doesn’t have a cute boy to teach how to fight.” I looked at the giant man in shock. Blue had been talking about me? To his friends? I felt that stupid blush start to creep up my neck, and wrapped my hands around the back of it. I stayed silent and shifted back to look at Blue and India, where Blue had the smaller man backed up against the wall and was gently punching him in the gut, both of them laughing.

“I’m Glass, by the way, Blue’s second in command.” The man beside me said with his deep voice. He was looking at me, but I kept my eyes trained on the other two.

“I’m Cloud, Blue’s cute boy, apparently.” I muttered, and Glass chuckled heartily. It felt weird to refer to myself as Blue’s _anything._ After a moment of watching Blue and India tussling, the door at the back of the room swung open, and a tall woman in a bulky black vest walked in, a gun at her side. My hackles immediately went up, but none of the others seemed perturbed, so I stayed still.

“Alright ladies, stop your spat and let’s go over the rules.” She said, moving to the center of the room and crossing her arms. Blue and India moved in to circle her, and Glass ushered me closer with a hand on my lower back that made me want to spontaneously combust. Magpie and Starling closed in behind us. “I see a new face.” She said, I muttered my name and we quickly shook hands. “I’m Betta, It’s nice to meet you.” She was gorgeous, her face square and strong, her blonde hair pulled up into a ridiculously tight bun, and her grey eyes eagle sharp. She moved on quickly though. “I know you jerks know the rules, but I’ll go over them for Cloud’s sake. The rules are simple:

“There are two teams, Red and Blue. Each team has an objective, or flag, hidden somewhere in their territory that the other team must capture and carry back to home territory. Guns and vests are in home base, the guns emit a laser pulse that your vest will count if it hits. Vests will vibrate if you get shot. If you get shot 10 times, your gun no longer works and you have to return to base to recharge. Violence is suggested, play dirty, Red team definitely plans on it. Oh and guys? I can tell this is all an elaborate ploy to woo Cloud, but I can also tell you just by looking at him that this is a boy that can take care of himself. Don’t hurt yourselves trying to look cool.” And with that she brushed past me and out the other door, leaving me to turn bright red and look from face to face. The others looked about as embarrassed as I felt. Blue coughed.

“That’s a good enough pep talk, let’s do this.” He said, and then led us through the back door. It was suddenly very dark, but also not dark at all. There were shapes everywhere, the outlines of them rimmed in neon, glowing brightly in the dim light. Not only that but the lights overhead, if they were even coming from overhead, were constantly changing colors and _flashing._ It was like the room was specifically designed to confuse you and make you want to puke. I grabbed onto Blue in a blind panic, my hand grasping his shirt tightly.

“What the hell is this?” I asked loudly, and he chuckled, grabbing my hand to lead me through the maze of shapes.

“It’s to confuse, makes it harder to find the objective.” Blue explained, as I worked not to focus too hard on the comforting weight of his hand in mine. He led me and the rest of the group into a small room where the lighting, thankfully, remained consistent. Inside, more of the bulky vests Betta had been wearing hung on the wall, along with guns. The guys moved forward and immediately started putting them on, like they’d done it a million times, and they probably had. Blue let go of my hand, and I tried not to miss it as he retrieved a vest.

“Here.” He was saying, and then slipped the bulky thing over my head. Once it was on, he methodically tightened the straps at my sides until the vest somewhat fit, a look on his face like a mother hen, and I tried not to blush at that. Not that it really mattered, I was already bright red as it was. Even as tight as the straps would go, the vest still shifted around on my skinny chest, and I could see Blue holding back a laugh.

“Don’t make me beat you up.” I scowled, and Blue grinned down at me. He gave the shoulder straps of my vest a firm jerk and I stumbled forward sharply, but he didn’t let me fall.

“After what you did to River, I don’t doubt that you could.” Blue said, and embarrassment crept up my spine. Suddenly though, India was kicking Blue in the hip, making the taller man lurch to the side.

“Lover boy, might I remind you we have a war game to win, in case you’d gotten lost in the clouds.” India sneered, and then his eyes were on me. I met his gaze as angrily as I could, but he just grinned at me and plopped a gun into my arms. “Hope you know how to use one of these.” India jeered, and then Blue was back at my side, as a deafening buzzer sounded throughout the arena, making me jump.

“You guys know the drill. Cloud, you stay with me.” Blue commanded, and the guys were disappearing out of the room.

“What are we doing then?” I asked lamely, and followed Blue out of the room and into the shifting lights. He had his gun up in front of his chest, so I did the same, not really knowing what I was supposed to do with it. I’d never held a gun, only seen soldiers carrying them, or read about them in books. Curiously, I pointed it out in front of me and mashed the trigger. A bright laser shot out, the gun making a loud, sort of ‘pew’ noise, and I startled. Blue whipped around, eyes wild. I gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry.” I murmured, embarrassed. The man just shook his head and kept walking.

“We’re gonna’ go capture the objective.” He whispered, and I stared at the back of his head in shock.

“What? No.” I whispered, and heard Blue chuckle.

“No?” He whispered back as we rounded a corner, and heard people shouting, and the ‘pew’ noises of the guns.

“Yeah, no. We can’t do that. _I_ can’t do that.” I whispered, but really at this point I was more or less whisper-shouting. Blue turned around and eyed me with a smile on his face.

“Oh come on Cloud, you got this! You already figured out the gun even.” He pointed out. He gave me a thumbs up, and then suddenly he was ducking out from behind the wall we’d been hiding behind, and presumably running directly towards the shouts and ‘pew’ noises.

“Blue!” I whisper-shouted, and then gave up on the whispering and just shouted. “Blue!” When no reply came, I groaned as loud as I could in annoyance, and shuffled forward to peak around the corner. I could see some shuffling a little ways away, just barely, past several neon rimmed walls, but couldn’t make out Blue’s figure. Not sure what to do, I darted forward to the next wall, and then the next, until I was right upon the scuffle. I peeked around the wall to see Blue engaged in hand to hand with- Solstice?

I ducked back around the corner as fast as I could. It wasn’t _that_ weird for Solstice to be here. She probably had a life outside of Bones after all. I nodded to myself. Yep, just some kids trapped in an underground bunker, shooting each other with laser guns. I nodded again.

Then I leaned slightly around the corner and shot Solstice with my laser gun. I heard her mutter something startled in Japanese, but I’d already ducked back around the corner, breathing hard. I was also kind of grinning like an idiot, but at least no one was around to see it. I leaned around the corner again and managed to hit Solstice three more times before she realized where the shots where coming from. When our gazes met, her eyes widened.

“Cloud!” She shouted, and then Blue grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back. Solstice growled and started struggling.

“Shoot ‘er Cloud!” Blue shouted, and without my permission, the grin returned to my face. I fumbled with the gun in my hands, but I managed to shoot the woman in Blues grasp enough times for her vest to light up blue. She groaned, and Blue released her, gesturing for me to come out of hiding. I slinked out from behind my wall and towards the two of them where Solstice stood with her arms crossed.

“You play dirty, Cloud.” She eyed me, her red eyeliner almost glowing in the darkness. “I like it. Not so sure if Bones will be happy to see you though.” My stomach dropped at that, and I stared at Solstice in shock. It objectively made sense, of course. She was part of his gang, she wouldn’t be far from him. Then something dawned on me, and I whirled on Blue.

“You _knew._ ” I accused, and he must have seen the genuine anger in my eyes because he put his hands up defensively.

“I thought you’d like it, beating that cocky jerk at his own game.” Blue tried to defend himself, but I was already done with the situation. Solstice was eyeing us with amusement.

“You could have told me!” I shouted, and then I was turning on my heel and stalking away.

“Where are you going?” Blue called after me, and I didn’t even bother looking over my shoulder, just kept walking.

“To find the objective or whatever the hell, and beat Bones at his own game, and then get out of this damn arena, cause these lights are driving me up the wall!” I shouted, and heard Solstice laughing loudly behind me.

 

 

It took some time and some sneakiness to find the objective. It was a bright blue, glowing banner, perched at the top of a tower of those neon rimmed blocks, just sitting there with no one guarding it. Blue and I where crouched 20 or so feet away behind a wall, eying it like a couple of starved cats. I hadn’t spoken to him since we’d left Solstice behind, too annoyed at having been left out of the loop.

“It’s a trap.” He murmured in my ear and I flinched, whipping around to glare at him. I turned to look back up at the flag, hanging limply maybe fifty feet up. Yeah, it was definitely a trap, but the flashing lights had long since brought me back to the provisions facility, and I was seeing the dead guard around every corner, so I simply nodded to myself and repositioned my grip on my gun.

“Yeah. It’s a trap.” I reaffirmed, and then I stood up and darted from behind the wall. Behind me I heard Blue let out a startled cry, but I just kept sprinting towards the base of the tower. When I got there, I hooked my hands into the top of the first block and hoisted myself up. Id managed to get my feet under me when someone grabbed the back of my vest and yanked.

I fell backwards, my back and head colliding with the ground, which was thankfully somewhat softer than concrete. Above me, Bones’ shocked face swam into vision, his skin changing color in the flashing lights.

“Cloud? What the f-“ He managed to say before Blue came screaming and slammed into his side, taking him abruptly to the ground. I scrambled to my feet, watching as Blue and Bones rolled around on the ground, trying to punch each other. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Rouge running toward me, and decided ‘ _damn you Bones and damn you Blue this is what I get for trusting attractive men’_ and promptly turned to practically sprint up the tower.

I managed to make it to the top with only 3 hits to my vest, and once I was there, I grabbed the flag and dropped down to my stomach, rolling to the edge of the block and peering over. Down below it was absolute chaos. Apparently, _everyone_ had decided to show up, and were now beating the absolute shit out of each other. Everyone’s vests were lit up, meaning no one could even actually use their guns anymore. Wonderful.

I could either climb back down into that mess and probably take a fist to the face, or... I rolled to the other side of the block and unclipped the banner from its pole, stuffing it into my vest to try and hide its annoying glow. I began the slow process of climbing back down, not able to see where my feet where going, but successfully made it to the bottom with no complications. Now all I had to do was make it back to home territory and Bones would have officially been beaten at his own game. Easy.

But then the man himself was tackling me to the ground, pinning me there by sitting on my chest, and wrestling my wrists under his knees. As much as I struggled and writhed, his sturdy frame wouldn’t budge. He grinned down at me, reaching and grabbing a corner of the glowing blue flag and pulling it slowly from my vest.

“Didn’t get far with your treasure, did you little bird?” He teased, and I thrashed angrily under his weight.

“Stop comparing me to _animals.”_ I spit out.

“Well, you’re hardly human, are you?” He asked, suddenly serious. He stared down at me with a fire in his eyes that made me stop struggling. I stared back up at him in confusion. “You’re just like me. Or Rouge, or Solstice. You’re not even human anymore, they’ve taken that from you. Stripped it all away. Forced you to do things that a human would never do, and now you’re just this- this animal. It’s okay Cloud, It’s oka-“

And then Blue was again slamming into Bones’ side, and the man’s weight was lifted off me. I laid there for a moment, just staring at the ceiling far above and the flashing, shifting lights. When I turned my head, Bones was standing above Blue, who was struggling to stand.

“You just keep getting in the _way.”_ Bones was saying, and then Magpie was punching him soundly in the jaw with a strength I didn’t know he possessed. I staggered to my feet as everyone else started showing up, and fights broke out. I backed slowly towards the maze of walls and blocks, just trying to get away, but my foot slipped on something and I toppled to the ground. I looked down at my foot to see it wrapped in glowing blue fabric. The flag. I grabbed it and scrambled to my feet, not even thinking.

Across the opening, I made eye contact with India, where Checkmate had him pressed against a wall. He gave me a toothy, bloody, grin and a nod; and I spun on my heel and took off. I ran without stopping once, not even sure where I was going. I somehow made it back to home territory though, because that buzzer went off again, loud and resolute, and I threw the flag down and collapsed into the ground, closing my eyes. After a while, I heard someone walk up to me. They chuckled and I opened my eyes. It was Betta, staring down at me with her arms crossed.

“Yeah, I had my money on you.” She grinned.


	5. DAY 5 Truth Or Dare Plus Underage Drinking

After the war game had ended, I’d immediately left the arena and gone back to my dorm before anyone could find me. I’d gone the hell to sleep, not giving my emotions time to catch up with me. It hurt that Blue had left me out of the loop, had basically lied to me. I knew that I was overreacting, really, that Blue hadn’t done it in malice, but I couldn’t stop my brain from taking the idea and running with it. I laid in bed, wrapped the paper thin blanket tighter around myself and tried to think calmly.

                It had felt like Blue and I had a spark, as gross and stereotypically mushy as that sounded. That first training session had gone _really_ well. There had been _banter._ I groaned and pulled the blanket up over my head. My brain hurt; that train of thought was taking me nowhere good and I knew it. I suddenly felt a pressure fall beside my pulled up knees and shot out from under the blanket, eyes wild and huge. It was Beetle, with that same genuinely kind smile. I glared at him, my chest beating out of my chest.

                “Cold?” He asked, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side. I stared at him, confused and still slightly shaken.

                “What?” I asked blankly, prompting a quiet chuckle out of the other man.

                “You’re all wrapped up in your blanket, I assumed you where cold.” He explained. I tugged a little at the blankets pooled around my waist and averted my gaze from Beetle’s face.

                “Not particularly.” I said. This led into a long awkward moment of silence wherein Beetle didn’t immediately reply, and I couldn’t think of anything to say either, so we just sat there on my bunk. I glanced up to find Beetle already looking at me, a look of contemplation on his tan face. Finally, the silence grew to tense for me, and I growled slightly in frustration.

                “What are you here for?” I prompted tersely. Beetle just smiled.

                “You.” He said simply. I scowled, frustrated by his cryptic-ness. He took the hint though and continued after a small chuckle. “Bones wants to see you.” He expanded, and that immediately made my scowl deepen. This again? I scooted back on the bunk until my back was leaned up against the wall and tucked my knees up into my chest, feeling some tension drain out of me even though it only allotted me a little more distance from Beetle, who spoke up again. “He guesses you like me, so you’re less likely to break my nose with your skull.” Which at least managed to get a laugh out of me, even if it was slightly manic sounding.

                “I won’t break your nose,” I promised, and Beetle nodded his thanks. “Maybe your finger, or a rib or two though. Possibly your leg if I can manage it.” The brown haired man stared at me for a second, then exploded in laughter, doubling over. I looked down on where he shook with a small smile pulling at the corners of my lips. After a moment of laughing, Beetle managed to calm himself. He straightened up, looking up at me with a grin.

                “I don’t that you could and would, but I still have to ask you to come with me.” He said, wiping at his watering eyes. I frowned at that. I really didn’t feel like seeing Bones right now, or really ever. I suddenly remembered his apology in the hallway though, how he had been civil, had tried to make me feel better; even if he wasn’t really the reason I was feeling bad. And then that thought made me remember the war game.

                “You’re just like me. Or Rouge, or Solstice. You’re not even human anymore, they’ve taken that from you. Stripped it all away. Forced you to do things that a human would never do, and now you’re just this- this animal.” It had been sudden, and weird, but when I thought about it now, it actually hurt how true his words were. It hurt to realize that maybe Bones _understood._ I sighed. These next words were gonna’ hurt.

                “Okay Butterfly, lead the way.” To Beetles credit, he only stared at me in shock for a couple seconds before getting to his feet and offering me a hand up. I took it, for no reason other than the fact that I was already going against the practical part of my brain. It was a short walk to the meeting room, and the guards let us in with no questions. This time it was just Bones, Rouge, and Checkmate waiting inside. They stopped talking when we walked in and I tried to keep my expression neutral, to keep the annoyance in my gut from flaring just at the sight of Bones.

                “Beetle! You survived fifteen minutes alone with the dame, and therefore-“ Bones said, and then he turned to Checkmate, “ _You_ owe me your blue scarf.” Bones crossed his arms over his chest, looking triumphant. I stared at him, my mouth hanging open slightly. Slowly but surely, my chest swelled with indignation. Checkmate gestured towards me, his eyes full of amusement, and Bones was turning towards me. The look of triumph melted from his features when he saw my expression though, and he quickly uncrossed his arms.

                “Not that we were betting on whether or not you would beat him up.” Bones told me, and I snapped my mouth shut. I wanted to turn around and walk right out of there, but then I remembered what had prompted me to follow Beetle here in the first place, so I stayed firmly rooted in place. I didn’t trust myself to speak though, sure that if I did it would be to chew the man out, so I kept my mouth closed too. Bones glanced between me and Beetle, for once seemingly unsure of what to say or do.

                “You had something you wanted to tell Cloud?” Rouge prompted from where she was lounging in an uncomfortable looking metal chair. Bones’ gaze snapped to her, then quickly back to me.

                “Ah. Yes, I wanted to congratulate you on your victory last night, but you disappeared as soon as the match was over.” He said stiffly, then paced around the table. “You’re a fast little raccoon- I mean, not raccoon.” He winced, closing his eyes. My eyebrows shot up at how awkward and uncomfortable he was acting. Bones was usually more… suave than this.

                “I- thank you?” I replied. I wrapped my arms around my middle and tried not to notice I was still wearing Blue’s shirt. “Is that why you called me here?” Bones shook his head and opened his eyes.

                “No, just, damn, just wanted to say good job.” He leaned back on the table. “The reason I called you in is to ask why you haven’t joined a faction.” I heard Beetle chuckle beside me before walking further into the room to find a chair. “I mean, I know you’ve gotten at least two requests already, one from that ponytail idiot you follow around. What’s holdin’ you back sweetheart?” I blanked at that. How did he know Blue had asked me to join his faction? Or the guy from the bathroom? Why did it even matter?

                “What’s that got to do with you?” I asked petulantly, and Bones raised an eyebrow.

                “It’s got to do with me, doll, ‘cause I’m in charge and I say everyone has to join a faction.” He said, his voice suddenly full of authority; and maybe it was that authority that made me want to rebel, to break the rules as I always had. Just cause the guy in charge was a kid like me didn’t mean I wanted to listen to him more. I rolled my eyes.

                “Well I say I’m not _‘gonna_ join one of your stupid factions.” I spit out. I was sure I sounded like a massive brat, but I really couldn’t bring myself to care. Bones stared at me, his eyes unbelieving, and his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. I raised my eyebrows, daring him to respond.

                “That’s not how this works doll.” Bones said, slowly, like he was explaining something to a child. I could see Checkmate holding in laughter behind him. “See, I say you do something, and you do it. Get it?” I laughed loudly and saw Bones flinch.

                “You want me to join a faction? Fine. I’ll join the ‘I’m Not Gonna’ Join A Faction Faction’.” I sneered and watched in satisfaction as Bones crossed the line between careful calmness and annoyed rage.

                “Listen sweetheart you ‘gotta join a damn faction.” He nearly shouted, and behind him, Checkmate and Rouge finally burst into laughter. He whirled on them. “Don’t you dare, you helped make the faction rule!” he shouted, which only made them laugh harder. Bones turned back to me. “There’s a lot of factions doll, lot’s to choose from. It’ll be good for ya’ too, help you make friends and all that.” He was suddenly striding across the room towards me and I scrambled back towards the door.

                “I’m not joining a-“

                “Yes you are. Pick one and join it by the end of the week or I’ll pick one for you.” He had me by the shoulders and was spinning me around, yanking the door open and shoving me out. I whirled on him.

                “Bones! I’m not join-“

                “Oh and one more thing, Blue’s faction. Rock Foxie or whatever, would not recommend.” And then he was slamming the heavy metal door directly in my face. I stared at it for a moment in shock, my brain processing what had just happened. I heard bits and pieces of the three shouting on the other side.

                _“You’re both a couple of-“_

_“You argue like an old married couple!”_

_“He has to join a faction.”_

_“I will break both your kneecaps so help me gods!”_

                I heard someone clear their throat behind me and spun around to find Blue standing there, eyeing me skeptically. I wrapped my arms around myself, then unwrapped them, letting them hang awkwardly at my sides.

                “Do you often hang out in Bones office?” Blue asked, and I frowned in annoyance.

                “That’s none of your concern if I do.” I said tersely, and moved to walk past the taller man. He stepped to block my path though and I scowled up at him. He looked sad and guilty, which made _me_ feel sad and guilty, and I sighed. “He called me in to yell at me for not joining a faction.” I explained, and Blue’s face flattened out in relief.

                “So you haven’t joined one yet?” He asked. I shook my head.

                “Don’t plan to.” I said flatly, and Blue looked at me in confusion. We were still standing in front of the door and the guards, so I started walking down the corridor, motioning for Blue to follow. “I’m not gonna’ join one just ‘cause he says I have to. Besides, I’m not interested in being part of a group.” I explained.

                “Why not?” Blue asked, and I stared at the ground as we walked. Why not? ‘Cause I’d always been on my own, except for mom and Stormy. ‘Cause getting bogged down in group dynamics was pointless. ‘Cause trusting people was honestly the most terrifying thing I could imagine.

                “Because I’m better off on my own.” I told him, and we fell silent for a while. I hadn’t been sure where I was heading, but apparently my stomach had, because we ended up in the dining hall. I thought back to the last time I had eaten, with Beetle on my first day down here. Over two days ago. My stomach growled. I dug around in my pocket and thankfully found my food card, then headed towards the back of the room. Halfway there though, I girl was suddenly bouncing up to us, blocking our path.

                “You’re the new greenie, Cloud, aren’t you?” She asked, her voice smooth and low. She was ridiculously tall and thin, pale, with her fading blue hair pulled up into a pony tail so high on her head that parts of it were falling into her face, and she had to blow at a strand to get it out of her eye. I stared at her for a moment.

                “I guess.” I said, and tried to side step her, but she moved to block me.

                “You’re pretty cute.” She said, and eyed me up and down a couple times. I suddenly felt very self-conscience in the fitted shirt I was wearing.

                “I _guess._ ” I muttered, and again, tried to move around the tall girl. This time she actually put a hand on my arm to stop me, and I jerked back. The girl only smiled more. Fear started to coil in my gut and my eyes began to dart around the room, looking for an escape route.

                “Do you got a girlfriend Cloud?” The girl asked suddenly, and I was about to make a break for the exit when I felt strong arms coil around my waist. I could feel Blue breath out onto my hair and I went completely rigid.

                “A boyfriend, actually.” Blue said, and if my body could get any stiffer, I would have. The girl’s eyes lit up and she grinned. Blue’s grip around my middle tightened, and to my surprise, I actually took a little bit of comfort in it. It felt weirdly safe, to be wrapped in the man’s arms like that. Normally if someone grabbed me I would be clawing at their eyes but, the fact that Blue was doing it to- to- what? Protect me? Make the girl leave? It felt kind of…good?

                “Wow, Blue. Finally got yourself a boyfriend huh? Good for you. Guess I won’t steal him from you, though he sure is pretty.” She said, giving me a wink, before bouncing a way like some kind of blue haired gangly hurricane. Blue’s arms were still around my waist.

                “I’m sorry, but if I pull away now she’ll now I was lying.” Blue whispered in my ear, and I shivered. He shifted so that he only had one arm around me, and began leading me towards our original destination. When we got to the counter, Blue kept his arm on my waist, and kept it there as we walked to a table after getting our provision packs. He only pulled away when we sat down, and I immediately silenced the part of my brain that missed the warm weight of his arm. He did sit beside me however, unreasonably close, which was probably just part of the ‘boyfriend’ act, but it still felt nice. By that point I was completely over my anger at him for the war game. It seemed stupid, like I had over reacted, but maybe I was just high on the play pretend of being Blue’s boyfriend.

                “You could join mine you know.” He said suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at him, chewing slowly on my food. He was already staring at me, his eyes hopeful, his provision pack barely touched. I thought about it; joining The Granite Fox Faction. I wasn’t sure what sort of stuff was involved with joining a faction, but I knew it meant I would get to spend more time with Blue more than likely, and the guys I had met during the game. It also meant losing my freedom. It meant bending to Bones’ will. It meant, possibly, beginning to trust people and getting that trust crushed. I shook my head.

                “I can’t.” I said softly, watching as Blue’s face fell in disappointment. It felt bad, to turn him down like that, but it felt _right._ I stared down at the provision pack resting loosely in my hand, uneaten. A tense silence hung in the air, so thick and palpable it felt as though you could cut it with a knife. I heard Blue exhale and slowly moved my eyes up to his face. He was looking at me, his face holding something I couldn’t quite put a name to; like sadness, or even coldness. The longer I looked, the more it looked like… resentment. My breath caught roughly in my throat.

                “That’s fine.” Blue muttered, but his tone didn’t sound _fine._ He stared at me for another long moment, my body held frozen by his sharp eyes. Finally, he tensely got to his feet. “I have some stuff to do. You can always change your mind.” He told me, and if somehow that felt like a threat, I didn’t let the thought linger long in my brain.

               

I’d sat in the dining hall for a long time after Blue had left. I hadn’t really even been thinking, much. I was just staring down at the provision pack laying on the metal table, or out at the room; the people as they came and went from the tables. I didn’t know what to make of Blue’s behavior. It was so out of character, so strange and seemingly _random._ Maybe he was having an off day. Maybe he hadn’t gotten much sleep. Maybe I didn’t know Blue as well as I thought I did.

                I’d eventually scarfed down what I could of the provision pack and gotten up from the table, my body on autopilot. My limbs felt heavy, my brain foggy, and I took to wandering the metal halls, not sure what to do with myself. It’s not like I knew anyone, other than Bone’s crew; and I didn’t feel particularly welcome just barging into their meeting room anyway.

                The corridors, I mused, seemed again to blend one into another. They just looked so damn similar, the metal walls stretching for a while before bending, occasionally with a door or archway to tell them apart if you looked close enough. That train of thought, though, could only distract me for so long. In all honesty, I wanted to see Blue, wanted to talk with him, to _banter._ I made up my mind to find him, decided my best bet would be the training room, and re-centered myself in the maze of hallways I was currently lost in.

                It only took me ten or so minutes to find my way to my destination. I walked tentatively into the large room, my eyes scanning the expanse for tan skin and dark hair. It took me a while of checking and hopefully rechecking to decide that Blue was in fact not in the room. My shoulders slumped. I didn’t have the energy to search the entire first quadrant for him, I realized, so instead I walked to the nearest wall and slid down it, sitting cross legged on the floor. I stared out at the people training and sparring each other. Even as tired and mentally run ragged as I was, I could still find beauty in their movements, the way someone would lung at their opponent, lighting quick, to jab a fist into their face. It didn’t always land, but the show of strength and dexterity was still so evident that I felt awe creep up my spine.

                I was so lost in watching a woman attacking her opponent with viscous kicks that I didn’t notice someone approaching me until they were standing above me. I looked up sluggishly, squinting into the fluorescent lights. After my eyes had adjusted, I realized it was Rouge, grinning down at me with her sharp features backlit. She looked huge, too tall from this angle; like some kind of fantastical creature, almost ethereal. Maybe that was just my tired brain being weird though.

                “You look like you’re about to fall over and pass out honey.” She cooed, and I blinked slowly at the pet name. Somehow though, when she said it, it didn’t sound like she was mocking me. “Why are you slumped up next to the wall then?” she asked. It took me a moment to comprehend the question.

                “Wanted to train,” I mumbled, “Blue’s not here though.” She nodded at me, and then she was gracefully slipping down to sit in cross legged in front of me.

                “You just missed him love. He came in all pissed and beat up on a couple of the smaller guys and then stormed out.” Rouge said. Her voice was very gentle, soft, and she was watching me carefully, like she was gauging my reaction. I stared at her, my eyes boring into hers, trying to tell if she was lying, like if I looked into her eyes long enough I would be able to see into her soul and see the truth. That couldn’t be right. Blue wouldn’t just beat up people ‘cause he was angry, especially go as far as to target them based on their size. Right? I could feel my tongue drying up, and I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her that I didn’t believe her, but nothing came out. I closed my mouth.

                Rouge was watching me with such gentleness in her eyes, such avid care and sadness. I suddenly became aware of how Rouge had treated me in the past; from the moment we’d met leading up to right now. She had _always_ been kind. Had always had something nice to say, or a soft gesture, never moved too fast or got too close. I had been staring blankly into my lap, so I flicked my eyes up to her face. She wasn’t stereotypically gorgeous. She had a big nose like me, which ended in a sharp point, and her eyes were rather narrow. Her eyebrows looked perpetually incredulous and slightly angry. All in all she wasn’t exactly what you would normally consider the _most_ beautiful woman. But her smile was stunning, it made me want to smile just seeing it, and the way she moved was so graceful and languid. On top of that though, the way she treated me, well, it honestly made her the most attractive woman I’d ever seen.

                “Hey Cloud?” Rouge suddenly said, startling me out of my thoughts. “How about me and you go have a little sleepover?” She asked. I stayed silent, mostly because I was too shocked to say anything. I’d had sleepovers with Angel before, we’d played with each other’s hair and stayed up all night curled up under the blankets, just talking and giggling. I didn’t exactly trust Rouge, yet, but the idea of doing those things with someone as kind and gentle as her was incredibly appealing. I nodded gently and Rouge’s beautiful grin returned. I couldn’t help but smile slightly back at her.

                “Wonderful!” She was saying, and getting to her feet in one fluid motion. She yanked me up, startling a laugh out of me, and then her hand was in mine and we she was leading me out of the training room, hand in hand.

                It was when we were passing the doors to the meeting room though, that things got complicated. The large doors suddenly swung inwards, and Bones sauntered out, his attention focused on a set of papers in his hands. I felt my shoulder tense up, and then Rouge stopped walking, and my mind started screaming.

                “Oh hi Bones.” She said, and the man’s gaze shifted up to her casually, then slid past her to me. His eyes actually got bigger. I watched as his hands tightened and the papers crinkled slightly, and Bones’ posture went rigid. It was so obvious how much he disliked me you could see it from above ground. I glared at him and he went even stiffer. “Me and Cloud were just headed to my room for a little sleep over.” Bones’ gaze snapped from me to Rouge, his face growing dark. He stepped forward slightly.

                “Were you?” he spit out, making me shrink in on myself. Did he not want her to spend time with me? Did he have the power to keep her away from me? “Well that’s perfect, ‘cause if you remember _we_ were gonna’ have a sleepover.” There was a tense silence following that in which my mind caught up and realized what the black haired man was insinuating. My head snapped to Rouge in horror, who was staring Bones’ down with an evil looking grin.

                “I _do_ remember that. Why don’t you just join us? Two birds with one stone and all that.” Her accented voice was light and sounded good natured, but the undertones of maliciousness were definitely there. It was a dare. I looked between the two of them in confusion, unsure of what exactly was happening, but I knew I didn’t want Bones at our sleepover, damnit.

                “That’s a brilliant idea Rouge.” Bones all but growled, “You lead the way.”

                We stopped by my dorm for toiletries, but when Rouge asked about pajamas, I had to tell her I had none yet. Apparently that was something that usually came with a faction. She told me she would give me some, which made a warm feeling blossom in the pit of my stomach. We also went to Bones’ room, but he made us wait outside while he got his stuff. I stood awkwardly leaning against the wall away from Rouge and she gave me a warm smile. Not her usual grin, but it still made me smile slightly.

                “I hope you don’t mind the addition to our sleepover too terribly much sweetheart. He gets lonely.” Rouge said gently, and it pulled a small laugh out of me. I looked down at the ground and sighed quietly.

                “It’s fine.” I murmured just as Bones’ door opened and he strode out with a small pack slung over his shoulder. I threw him a half-hearted glare and he eyed me up and down. Rouge’s room was just down the hall, about twenty feet, separated by what looked to be another bedroom. She opened the door for us and gestured for us to go in.

                The room looked pretty much like Beetle’s. Same size, same furniture; the only differences were the small amount of decorations. Rouge had a bunch of cloths laid out on the floor, like rugs, in all different colors and patterns, as well as hung on the walls and billowed from the ceiling. The most amazing thing about the room though, were the hundreds of small folded paper birds hung on strings from the roof, as if they were flying.

                I stood just inside the doorway, my mouth hanging open slightly, just turning my head slowly from side to side, taking in the room. It was like being in another world. Suddenly I wasn’t trapped in The Underground anymore, I was somewhere far away from all of that. Far from the maze of metal halls, far from the factions, far from the dead guard.

                “You like it?” Rouge murmured beside me, voice gentle.

                “It’s…like a fairytale.” I said, at a whisper. When I looked to the left, I saw Bones standing to the side with his arms crossed, but with a look on his face that didn’t match his features. He looked…happy, gentle, almost affectionate. We held each other’s gazes for a long electrifying moment, my spine tingling with it. Bones was the first to look away, and I studied his face for a second, until Rouge cleared her throat beside me and I tore my eyes away.

                “Well, make yourselves comfy.” She said cheerfully, gliding over to her bed and jumping onto it, settling with a bounce. She looked from me to Bones a couple times where we still stood awkwardly, before gesturing to the bed beside her, and then to the cloth covered ground. Ah yes. Sit. I moved stiffly towards her and plopped down to the floor at her feet, looking up to her for further instruction. She just chuckled and leaned back on her arms as Bones sat down beside her on the bed. I suddenly felt awkward to be the only one on the floor.

                “What were your plans for the night then Rouge?” Bones asked, voice gruff. I looked over to him, taking him in from the odd angle. He wasn’t looking at me, and I found myself lost in staring at his sharp jawline, at the dark stubble just beginning to form a shadow there.

                “Eat food, do each other’s hair, I have some nail polish, that black color you like.” The dark haired woman listed off, and I watched as Bones’ eyes lit up at the last one. He plopped one of his hands down onto Rouge’s leg, smirking.

                “It’s been so long.” He said excitedly, and the woman laughed, picking up his hand and examining his fingers. I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

                “Nail polish?” I asked, quiet, not wanting to interrupt. They both turned to look down on me. They just stared for a moment, but then something seemed to click in Rouge’s head.

                “You’ve never heard of nail polish? Even when you were up top? Oh honey, you’re gonna’ love this!” She squealed and jumped up, dropping Bones’ hand and stepping around me. She crossed the small room to her dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out a small metal box. She turned and came back to us, dropping to sit on the floor beside me. She pushed the box into my hands and nodded down at it.

                “It’s for your nails, it’s like paint, makes ‘em pretty colored.” She explained as I looked down and rifled through the small bottles in the box. They were made of glass with black handles, and filled with, as she had said, what looked like paint. There were about ten or so of them, in all different colors. Blue and red and green, even the black Bones apparently liked. I looked up at Rouge, who was already looking at me, her eyes full of excitement.

                “Pick a color and ill paint yours love.” Rouge said. I looked back down at the box of _nail polish_ in my hands, suddenly overcome with emotion. I had seen the girls in my dorm doing this I realized now, ‘painting each other’s nails’. They were obviously friends, did this mean that Rouge thought of me as a friend? I picked through the polishes for a moment before finally settling on a light blue one and gently grabbing it out of the box. I held it in my hand and looked up to Rouge. She smiled happily at me and nodded, holding her hand out. I put the bottle in her hand.

                “I like that color too, it’ll look great on you.” Rouge told me, gently grabbing my hand and pulling it into her lap. She set it on her knee and unscrewed the handle from the nail polish, setting the little blue bottle down on the floor beside her. I watched in fascination as she used the brush attached to the underside of the handle to gently apply the blue paint to my nails. It looked like it took a lot of skill to get it right, to keep the paint from getting all over my skin. After a couple minutes, she had finished painting both hands and was screwing the cap back onto the bottle. I lifted one of my hands from her knee slowly, bringing it up to stare in awe at my now blue fingernails.

“Like it?” Rouge asked, and I simply nodded, still looking at my nails. I heard a chuckle behind me and suddenly remembered that Bones was also in the room with us. I turned around, giving him a look. He didn’t look like he was laughing _at_ me, though, and that threw me off. “We already know what color Bones wants.” Rouge teased from behind me and the man smirked. “Cloud, would you like to try?” She asked, and I turned to look at her in shock. She just gave me an encouraging nod and handed me the black nail polish bottle.

                When I turned back to Bones he was looking at me with that strange gentle expression again and I paused. He slid down from the bed to sit cross legged in front of me, so close that his knees where touching my own. He looked at me for a second, and then slowly, ever so slowly, he gently slid a hand onto my knee. My breath caught in my throat and I stared down at his hand, momentarily forgetting what I was supposed to do with it. After a moment though I remembered what Rouge had done and unscrewed the handle from the polish, set the bottle next to me, and began stroking the brush down Bones’ nails.

                It was kind of messy at first, but after the first couple nails I got the hang of it and managed to make it look like Rouge had. I could feel Bones’ gaze on the back of my head where I was bent over his hand, but I didn’t look up, instead electing to ignore it. He was acting weird, and I didn’t know what to make of it. Ever since his apology in the corridor, things had been strange and tense between us. It was almost like the man was trying to be _nice._ I had gently wrapped my fingers around Bones’ wrist to keep his hand steady, and couldn’t stop glancing up to look at the way my hand looked so small compared to his, the contrast of his olive skin and my own paper white. Without thinking, I gently rubbed my thumb slightly up the soft underside of his wrist, along the protruding vein there. I felt him tense up and realized what I had done. Behind us I heard Rouge rummaging about in her drawers where she had gotten up.

                “It’s okay.” Bones whispered, so quiet I barely heard it, nearly convinced myself I had imagined it, but when I looked up, he was looking at me with these eyes, like I had just told him we were going back above ground. I kept the eye contact for only a moment, and then looked back down, returning to my task. Against better judgement, I kept my hand on his wrist, but carefully kept my thumb still. It only took a moment more to finish painting his nails.

                “You did fantastic!” Rouge suddenly said beside me and I jumped, not having noticed her approach. Bones did rouge’s nails next, a deep red color, but I didn’t pay as much attention. I leaned up against her bed and pulled my knees up to my chest, taking a moment to get my wits about me. Apparently my first impressions of Bones were wrong. He wasn’t at all what I had convinced myself I knew him to be, if the experiences I had since had with him where anything to go by. I found myself staring at the curve of his spine where he hunched over to paint Rouge’s nails, at the intense, focused expression on his face, and realizing that he really was a very attractive man.

                My eyes widened suddenly at that thought and I balked. No no no, _that_ was not something I was allowed to think. _Ever._ I tore my eyes away from Bones’ frame, staring instead at one of the blankets lying on the floor. It was dark brown, and I followed the intricate patterns with my eyes, each curved swirl and sharp turn. Bones was a jerk; a self-centered, arrogant, violent, jerk; and it was not in my self-interest to think of him as anything related to _attractive._

                I was pulled out of my internal tantrum suddenly by Rouge shouting in delight and waving her hands around. I smiled gently at her obvious happiness, slightly stretching my legs out from their bent position. I tried not to notice Bones looking over his shoulder at me, once again with that damn expression on his face that seemed to become common place.

                “They look amazin’, right Cloud? Bones has such a steady hand, I should just hire him to do my nails _all_ the time.” She said, and got up to put the box of polishes back in their drawer, careful not to smudge the tacky paint on her nails. When she returned to her spot on the floor beside Bones, legs tucked up under her, she smacked her thighs and gave me a devious grin that had me starting to worry what she had up her sleeve.

                “While we were painting out nails I had an idea, and it’s a brilliant one.” Rouge said, her gaze flittering to Bones.

                “Well this can’t be good.” The man said, and she smacked him lightly on the shoulder, still grinning.

                “Oh but it is good love.” She whispered, and then she was gesturing for me to move in closer to the two of them. I did as she directed and scooted across the floor until one of my knees bumped up against hers, and I muttered a quiet apology. She grinned at me. “So here’s what we’re gonna’ do next kiddies. Bones knows this one, it’s a game me and my sister used to play, lots of fun. It’s called ‘truth or dare’.” Rouge said, clapping her hands together, and beside me Bones groaned loudly.

                “Really Rouge? This game is for children.” Bones protested, but the woman held up a single finger to silence him.

                “Well right now you’re acting like a child, so it’s prefect. I’ll explain the rules for Cloud.” I could see he wanted to say something, but Rouge gave him a look, and he settled back on his arms with a petulant look and stayed quiet. “It’s really quite simple sweetheart, someone asks another person ‘truth or dare?’ and they choose one. If they choose truth, the original asker asks a question, and the askee must answer truthfully. If they choose dare, the asker dares the askee to do something, and they must do it.” Rouge finished. It seemed simple enough, even like it could be fun, but Rouge still had a devious grin on her face and I felt uneasy. “However,” She continued, and then she got up and sauntered over to her dresser, opening the top drawer again. “To make it a little more interesting, if the askee wants to tap out of a truth or a dare-“ Rouge turned around and in her hand was a medium sized glass bottle filled with a honey colored liquid. She gave it a little shake and started walking back towards us.

                “You little minx.” Bones muttered, and I turned my head to see him leaning forward slightly. Rouge sat gracefully in front of us, completing our little circle, and I cocked my head to the side, eyeing the bottle in her hand. I wasn’t sure what it was, some kind of drink maybe?

                “They have to take a _hearty_ gulp of this. No sipping.” Rouge finished, and I looked between the two of them, feeling more and more like an idiot. First I didn’t know what the nail polish was and now this. Bones must have seen me looking and caught on though cause he was grinning at me suddenly.

                “Oh no, baby doesn’t know what alcohol is. This is gonna’ be a fun night.” The man jeered and I crossed my arms over my chest. It made sense, _now._ I’d heard of alcohol once or twice when I was above ground, but I’d of course never actually had any. Alcohol was something people in the biospheres had, a luxury.

                “I know what it is.” I spat, and Bones just chuckled, shaking his head.

                “I’ll go first.” Rouge interjected, even though mine and Bones’ eyes stayed locked. “Bones.”

                “Yes, Rouge?” He answered, but kept looking at me. I heard her chuckle.

                “Do you have a crush on Cloud?” I watched as Bones’ eyes widened and his head snapped to Rouge, my head quickly following suit. Rouge was staring him down like the cat that got the cream, her wide grin looking entirely evil. After a moment of silence, I looked to Bones to find his mouth opening and closing, his eyes looking… panicked? Then suddenly his hand snapped out to grab the bottle of liquor from Rouge’s lap and he quickly and jerkily unscrewed the cap. I glanced at Rouge who had the expression on her face of someone who had just been told they were going to live in the biospheres. I quickly looked back to Bones to find him with the bottle tipped entirely upwards, taking _several_ giant gulps without breaking eye contact with Rouge. The woman started downright _cackling._

                “I take that to mean you refuse to answer the question then.” Rouge said between fits of laughter, and I just sat there between them, blinking in confusion. After a moment my brain caught up with the situation. The question itself was weird enough. Why Rouge had decided to ask Bones _that_ was beyond me, but then there was the fact that Bones had _refused to answer_ , which in most cases pointed to guilt. My head was spinning, trying to pin down that particular train of thought, so I instead stared at Bones as he set the bottle in his lap with a limp hand, and wiped his mouth with the back of his other. The man just answered her with a grunt. “Well that makes it your turn, Bones dear.” Rouge told him, mockingly sweet. He looked up.

                “Cloud, do you have a crush on _me_?” He said after a moment, turning his head to stare me down with those grey eyes. I spluttered, my eyes casting around the room, eventually falling on Rouge for help. She was eyeing me, curiosity clear in her eyes. What a traitor. I looked back to meet Bones’ gaze, trying to muster up any determination I had left in me. Did I have a crush on him? On Bones the supreme asshole? Obviously not, right? But then again, I had thought of him as attractive, and somewhat kind; had looked at him and found _good traits._ I had to admit to myself, it wasn’t exactly a crush, more so admiration, or appreciation, or maybe…the beginnings of a crush. Damn.

                I reached out somewhat slower than Bones had, but still rather quickly, and grabbed the glass bottle, tentatively bringing it up to my lips. Our eyes where still locked, and I could see curiosity pooling in Bones’ as I tipped the bottle up and let the liquid fall into my mouth. My taste buds where instantly assaulted with bitterness and I squeezed my eyes shut, pulling away from the bottle. I managed to swallow the gulp I had taken, but it burned like fire on the way down, making me pull a sour face. I heard Bones start laughing, and peeled my eyes open to see his shoulders shaking and him holding his stomach. I scowled, pushing the bottle back into his hands.

                “That was horrible!” I shouted, and then Rouge was laughing too, and I wrapped my arms around my waist, giving her a betrayed look.

                “M’ sorry hun, it’s just…your face!” she said, dissolving back into laughter. I looked between the two of them, feeling more and more like an idiot. Had I known the stuff tasted that bad, I would have just answered the damn question. After a moment, their laughter faded, and Rouge was speaking up again.

                “Okay Cloud, your turn love.” She said. I shifted my gaze down to my lap, contemplating my next move. Finally, I turned to Rouge.

                “Truth or dare?” I asked. She gave me a grin, scratching her chin in mock thought.

                “Dare.” She answered, leaning forward slightly. My mind was blank. I had absolutely no idea what kind of dare I was supposed to give her. I thought for a moment, then finally decided, assuming I should probably play it safe.

                “Give Bones a kiss on the cheek?” I offered, unsure if it was an acceptable dare. Beside me, Bones groaned loudly.

                “Too easy.” The woman mumbled as she leaned forward, crawling slightly to get to the other man. Bones tried to lean away, but she just leaned farther, until she was nearly on top of him and he had nowhere to go, giggling loudly. She gave him a little peck on the cheek, then pulled away and returned to her sitting position, still laughing. Bones sat back up, wiping at his cheek with a comically disgusted expression.

                “You’re a gods damn menace.” The man said, but he had a tiny smile pulling at his lips. After Rouge had gotten her giggling back under control, she leaned forward slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

                “And now it’s my turn yet again!” Rouge said, giving Bones a menacing look that had him glaring fiercely back at her. “Bones, darling, truth or dare?” Bones rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed for a long, long moment.

                “Why don’t we just go with dare then?” He all but growled, finally looking down at her, smirking darkly. I watched on as Rouge’s grin returned full force.

                “I’ll take one out of Cloud’s book,” She started, and Bones’ face visibly fell. “Give our Cloud a little kiss on the cheek.” Rouge nodded her head in my direction, making Bones’ eyes follow. I threw her another betrayed look, and she gave me an apologetic one. I cast my gaze back to Bones. He was looking at me, his features tense and stiff, his expression looking kind of…tentative.

                Ever so slowly, like he was trying not to startle me, Bones leaned forward, closer and closer, until his face was inches from mine. I didn’t dare to move, save for the minute tremors coursing through my frame. I just kept my wide eyes locked on his for the long moment that he kept his face in front of mine, and then he moved to the side and slowly brought his lips to my cheek. The breath I had been holding suddenly rushed out of me as his chapped lips connected with my skin and stayed there. In reality it was probably less than a second, but it felt like it stretched on for minutes, or hours; but then Bones was pulling away and leaning back, settling into his spot once again.

                I forced my eyes back into focus after a moment, looking to the black haired man sitting beside me. He was already looking at me, his eyes trained on the place on my cheek where his lips had touched moments ago, but then they flickered up to meet mine, a spark of something electric shooting between our gazes.

                *****Distantly, I could hear Rouge giggling and calling Bones a ‘homewrecker’, whatever that meant. I couldn’t focus on them though, my brain was too hectic, too mangled, going too many different directions. The kiss had been…surprisingly pleasant. Bones’ lips had been coarse, chapped to a point but also soft and warm.

No. What was I even thinking? I couldn’t do this; this whole _crush_ thing was the beginning of the end, and would only leave me hurt in the end. I needed to focus on surviving in The Underground, on learning to fight, on staying sane. I shook my head, banishing all the rabid thoughts running through my skull and tuning back into the conversation happening in front of me just as Bones spoke to me.

“Truth or dare doll?” He asked, and I thought for a moment before finally answering.

“Truth?” I mumbled tentatively, running my fingers over the long sleeves pulled over my hands. Bones seemed to think for a moment before coming to a decision.

“Have you had any boyfriends or girlfriends? Above ground?” He asked, his eyes intense and curious. I swallowed thickly, thinking of Risk, who I’d been with for two seasons and who’d left me because I ‘have the emotional capacity of a table.’ I also thought of Mac; we’d been together for over a year, but the relationship ended when I found out he had been seeing someone else behind my back. And then of course there was that period of time me and Angel had tried dating, which had ended about as soon as it had started due to how downright _awkward_ it had been.

Bones was still looking at me expectantly, but I really didn’t feel like talking about my life above ground. I eyed the bottle still resting in Bones’ lap, the fluorescent light of Rouge’s room reflecting off the clear honey colored liquid within. I gestured for the bottle and Bones snorted, but handed it to me all the same. I braced myself and took a heavy gulp of the liquor, trying my best not to make a face. I gently wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and eyed Bones petulantly, where he was starting to chuckle at me.

I had never had alcohol before, but I knew what effects it was supposed to have on people. I wasn’t sure how fast the effect were supposed to come on, but I was pretty sure I was starting to feel _something_. My head felt lighter than before, my limbs somewhat heavier. I tried to focus though, as I passed the bottle back to Bones’ waiting hand. He was looking at me with a smirk, and I watched in surprise as he brought the bottle up to his lips and took a couple more gulps.

“Oh come on Bones, that was mine.” Rouge glowered, grabbing for the bottle, but Bones just pushed it past her hand and towards my face. Wordlessly, he pressed it to my lips and tipped it up, making me splutter as the bitter liquid rushed into my mouth. I managed to gulp down the liquor, and then reached I up to pushed the bottle away from my face, causing some of it to splash out onto the front of my shirt as Bones started laughing loudly. “Stop making a mess.” Rouge chided, finally managing to grab the bottle out of the man’s hand. I scowled down at my wet shirt, pulling it away from my chest and cringing at the sticky feeling.

“What was that for?” I asked Bones, and he just laughed more as I tried not to pout at him.

“M’ trying to get you drunk so you loosen up and start actually answering the questions.” Bones answered, and swiped at the alcohol in Rouge’s hand. She pulled it out of his reach and shook a single, slender finger at him.

“Ask less personal questions then.” I rebutted, trying to ignore the growing fuzziness in my brain. This got a laugh out of both of them and I crossed my arms, finally giving in to the urge to pout.

“Either way, it’s your turn to go love.” Rouge interjected, and I scrunched my nose up slightly, shifting my gaze slowly between the two of them.

“Bones, truth or dare?” I asked, now having to try rather hard to focus my eyes on the man. He leaned back on an arm, scratching his jaw with the other, and my gaze followed his movements against my will.

“Truth.” He replied nonchalantly. My brain wasn’t really functioning properly anymore, but for some reason it still had the burning desire to know about _his_ past partners. He’d probably just drink anyways.

“Tell us about your past boyfriends or girlfriends.” I said, trying not to slur the words. I could hear Rouge giggling beside me, but my attention was focused on the way Bones lips curled up into a grin.

“All of them? Too many for one sitting.” The man responded, and I couldn’t keep the scowl from contorting my features. “Let’s see. There was Monarch, she was a pretty one. Ivy, he was really smart, didn’t work out ‘cause he made me feel stupid. Then there was Dove and that was just a big mess.” I stared as he continued on for several more names, trying to identify the emotion welling up in my gut. Finally, I reached over and grabbed the glass bottle from Rouge’s grasp and thrust it towards Bones’ lips, tipping it up.

“Just drink.” I mumbled. Most of the liquor must have not actually gone in his mouth, if the soaked state of his scarf and shirt were anything to go by, which gave me _intense_ satisfaction. Beside me, I heard Rouge’s loud sigh, but couldn’t bring myself to care much. After a moment of gulping down as much of the liquid as he could, Bones roughly grabbed the bottle from me and quickly lowered it from his mouth, a bit of the alcohol still dripping from the corners of his lips.

“What was that for?” He asked, obviously mocking my question from earlier, and I rolled my eyes, the motion suddenly making me feel dizzy. I placed my hands to the floor on either side of me for balance, feeling the texture of the cloths on the ground, and the hard metal below them.

“For being an annoying ass.” I mumbled, soliciting a sharp bark of laughter from Rouge. I wasn’t quite sure _how_ Bones had been an ass, just that him rambling off his past lovers had made me want to curl up and die, or possibly punch something, even if I had been the one to tell him to do it. This must be what being drunk makes you do. Was I even drunk? It sure felt like it, the way my body was minutely swaying from side to side, or how my brain felt like complete static. I glanced sidelong at Rouge, and my gaze fell to her lap, which suddenly looked incredibly inviting and very much like a wonderful pillow.

“Excuse me. I only did what you told me-.” Bones was saying, which was completely valid and made me question myself, so of course, I did the rational thing and let my body go limp and fall sideways onto Rouge’s crossed legs. Bones stopped mid-sentence as Rouge let out a startled sound, and I closed my eyes. I felt her hands come down gently, one on my shoulder and one in my hair, and it wasn’t altogether unpleasant, so I just let them stay there.

“Looks like our baby’s a light weight.” Rouge said quietly as her fingers began to card through my hair, and I hummed slightly despite myself. I heard Bones chuckle, and then some movement, and then suddenly strong hands were grabbing me, wrapping around me and shifting me around, and my eyes flew open. Bones was lifting me out of Rouge’s lap, one arm wrapped under my knees and the other around my back, cradling me.

“What’re you doin’?” I asked, trying to keep my eyes open despite them growing heavier and heavier. Bones looked down at me as he turned and gently sat me on Rouges bed, where she had pulled her blankets back, and smiled. A genuine, warm, real smile.

“Were you ‘gonna sleep on the floor doll?” Bones asked, pushing lightly on my chest to get me to lay back into the pillows. Beside me, Rouge climbed into the bed with me, and Bones pulled the blanket up over the both of us, effectively tucking us in like a mother would.

“Where’re you ‘gonna sleep?” I mumbled, watching as he crossed the room to the light switch beside the door. He looked over his shoulder, the smile still on his face.

“I have work to do.” He answered, and then he flicked off the light and slipped out the door in one smooth motion. I laid cuddled up beside Rouge, warm for the first time since coming to The Underground, and stared at the door for a long time. I eventually heard Rouge’s breathing even out with sleep, but I just laid there with my eyes closed, lost in a sea of drunkenness and confusion, until I eventually fell asleep too.

**Author's Note:**

> *dabs as I step into a shadowy corner. you can still see me. I insist that you cannot*


End file.
